BTVSAngel:The Epic New Series
by buffyfaith19
Summary: This is a femslash story. It’s been a year since Buffy went off the air and now with the cancellation of Angel, I felt a strong desire to do something to keep these shows alive in some form. There's a much better summary inside. Really there is.
1. Default Chapter

**Title:BTVS & Angel:The Epic New Series**.

**Pairing:** Buffy/Faith and many, many others to be discovered.

**TV Show**:BTVS & Angel

**Rating:** R

**Feedback**: 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters in this story. Sadly someone else does, Joss Whedon, WB and UPN among others do, but they simply don't use them quite the way they should.

**Author's Notes:** There's a lot of em. It's been a year since Buffy went off the air and now with the cancellation of Angel, I felt a strong desire to do something to keep these shows alive in some form.

What I've come up with is to write a series combing the two shows. Yep, it's a mighty big endeavor, but it's also one that I think could be very fun to write and hopefully equally fun to read.

The basic premise of this story is a primarily femslash version of the show, with Buffy & Faith as slayers right from the time they move to Sunnydale at the age of 17. They will be the main characters, and while their relationship will be one of the main focuses, the relationships of the other main characters from both shows will have a prominent role in this story as well. As will the many supporting characters from both shows.

Most every character from BTVS and Angel will change in some way, shape or form.  
My reasoning for this is simple, without these changes we could just as easily sit and watch Buffy reruns, which can be fun of course, but this is intended to be something new. Some of the changes will be subtle, some will be major, but hopefully they will be interesting ones to read about.

Obviously, the one thing needed for something like this is an open mind. Sadly, the only thing I can promise is, that you won't like every change I make, but then again, who can say they liked every character, episode or season they saw of BTVS or on Angel? The hope is that you'll give it a read and that it will keep you interested, entertained and wanting to read what happens next.

I believe with the many sub plots, plot twists and turns in this story, along with the main storyline, that this will more than satisfy fans of the two series.

I call the story an epic for a very good reason. It's going to be long, but it won't feel long because it does flow very well. Unlike TV, I will have the time to delve into each character more; each couple more as well as the main storyline more and that I hope, will make for fun reading as we learn more and more about each of the characters in the Buffyverse.

**Warning:** Characters will die from time to time, just as they did on TV. I want that to be a surprise so there will be no warning about this beyond the one I'm giving now. I believe the unexpected is always the most interesting and allows for suspense and surprises.  
  
** BTVS &Angel:The Epic New Series.**

**Chapter One.**

**Sunnydale, March 19, 1997.**  
  
Buffy Summers arrived at her new school not sure what to expect, but happy for a change of scenery nonetheless.  
After a year of problems at her last school, this was a new start for Buffy, her mom and her younger sister Dawn.

"I really don't want to go in mom." Buffy said, partially telling the truth and partially just wanting another day off school.

"It will be fine. Just be yourself and you'll make lots of new friends." Her mom said, and then looked down at her watch. "I have to go. I have a meeting that I can't be late for."

"But mom..." Buffy said with a nasal whine.  
"I'll talk to you tonight. Be nice to your sister okay. No fighting. Bye." She said sternly and , she was ready to go.

When Buffy got out of the car she leaned in to say goodbye, but her mom was already driving off, leaving Buffy to pull her head back in a hurry as she watched the car speed away.

"Fine, just go then. I'll do this on my own. Thanks for nothing." Buffy yelled at the back of her mom's car.

Still pissed off and wanting to take off and never come back again, Buffy knew that wasn't a very good option, so she turned and started walking up the steps to her new school. Everywhere she looked all's she saw were other kids talking, laughing and generally having fun.

Her only other observation was that out of everyone around, she was the only one who seemed to be alone.  
It was the curse of being the new kid.

Inside things were pretty much the same, teenagers mulling around their lockers waiting for the bell to ring.

She stopped in the middle of the hallway to look for her locker combination. Opening her purse, she reached in to look for it, but was knocked off balance, sending the contents of purse flying all over the floor.

Panic was the only emotion she felt as she scrambled to gather up all the items on the floor and was almost finished when a hand reached in and held out her diary.  
"I'm guessing this is yours?" the voice asked politely.

Buffy took the diary and got to her feet, "Thank you. I can't believe I brought that to school."  
"Let me guess, it's your first day right?" the brunette said, still holding Buffy's hand.

"Is it that obvious?" Buffy said with a big smile.  
"Afraid so, but you're not alone. It's my first day to."

"Oh, I never would've have guessed, you seem pretty calm about it then." Buffy said as she studied the brunette closely, "Oh, I'm Buffy, nice to meet you."  
"Hi, I'm Faith." She said, shaking the hand she was still holding.

Before Buffy could respond, a group of kids knocked her against the locker. As she turned to see what the commotion was, she saw Faith in the middle of a fight with something.

With the creature leaning down to bite Faith's soft neck, Buffy rushed towards it and knocked it to the ground. She grabbed Faith by the hand and took off with the rest of the kids down the hall.

They turned left when the others turned right and ended up in the girl's washroom.  
Turning around to catch their breath, they were more than a little shocked to see two men standing in front of them.  
Both were much older than they were, and sure didn't look like teachers either.

Taking a step forward the older of the two men took out a small bag and tossed it

towards the two girls, "It's good to see you, but there's really no time for introductions. Open the bag, take out the pretty wooden stake and run back and put it in the heart of that vampire that was chasing you. Excellent, off we go now." He said with a chipper smile.

Opening the bag the girls picked up the stakes, looked them over and then Faith looked back at the two men, "Just one second here, who the hell are you?"

"I knew you wouldn't do as you were told." The older man sighed, "Very well, if you must put up a squabble, my name is Mayor Richard Wilkins III and I am your watcher Faith."  
"What's a watcher?" Faith asked.

"I really don't have time to explain that now." He said in a melancholy tone, "That mangy vampire you saw in the hall is probably killing one of your future classmates as we speak. Why don't you take care of him as I've instructed and we can get into all the formalities after your first day of school? How's that grab ya?"

"This is crazy." Buffy interjected, staring back at the tall stuffy looking man standing beside the mayor, "What are you staring at? I'm underage you perv."

His face red from embarrassment, the man stepped forward in a flash. "No, no, no. I was doing no such thing. I assure you, my intentions are truly honorable." He said with a British accent.  
"Cute accent, I always found those sexy." Faith said as she smiled at Buffy.

"Oh well, thank you. I've had it all my life." The man said with an awkward smile.

"That's quite enough Wyndham-Pryce, this isn't the dating game. You're a watcher and let's not forget that shall we?" the mayor said, and then turned back to the two girls, "If the vampire kills anyone, you two will be to blame. So, what's it going to be? Heroes or goats? Your choice."

"This is bull. You could be the killers for all we know." Faith snapped back.

"Ah yes, but were we the ones chasing the kids down the hall trying to impale our teeth into their necks? I guess you have nothing to worry about then. You caught us. Good job." The mayor said sarcastically.  
Buffy turned to Faith, "He's right, that thing almost bit you. Let's just take care of that guy. I think we can do it together, don't you?"

"Oh, I was born ready." Faith nodded with a big smile as she held out her stake.  
"Let's go." Buffy said and the two girls marched out into the hall.

Buffy and Faith followed the screams to see the vamp chasing a young girl towards them.  
Faith grabbed the girl, made sure she was okay, "Go into the girl's washroom and stay there until we come and get you. Okay?"

"Okay." She muttered softly and then ran down the hall and out of sight.  
"You'll pay for that." The vampire said and then walked towards Faith.  
"I'm really scared." Faith

"You should be. You have no idea what I'm gonna do to you."  
Buffy tapped him on the shoulder and as he turned around, she pushed the stake into his heart. Instantly he turned to dust, much to the amazement of both girls.

"Cool." Faith said with a smile as she gave Buffy a quick hand shake, then pulled her in for a hug as they celebrated something they didn't fully grasp.  
With the hug lingering just a bit too long, they pulled back, turned and walked back to the bathroom.  
As luck would have it, there was no sign of the two men or the girl.

"You don't think we just sent an innocent young girl into the arms of two depraved old men do ya?" Buffy asked as she looked around the room.  
"Nah, they seemed on the level to me; a bit dorky, but not creepy. I have a good sense for guys like that." Faith said, trying to smile through some bad memories.

"Let's hope you're right." Buffy said as she turned and walked out of the bathroom, "Well, there has to be a reason they were at the school. Maybe the mayor is also a teacher or something." Buffy pondered. "That other guy looked like he would teach science or history or walked dogs for a living."

"Yeah, and to think he's your watcher. Lucky you." Faith laughed as they walked down the hall and into the library.  
Buffy gave Faith a friendly push, "Oh thanks, he looks like he can barely function on his own, let alone 'watch' someone else, whatever that means."

Inside the library, they were reunited with the two men.

"You two could've told us to meet you here you know." Faith said with a highly annoyed tone.

"Ah yes we could've, but what fun would that be?" The mayor said with a smile, "Now, since you're here, let's get down to business. I've got a meeting with the social committee that I just can't be late for."  
"By all means, what business do we have with you?" Buffy asked as she walked around the large library.

"Well, it's really quite simple young ladies, you are the chosen two. That's right, you are both very special." He said, his face brimming with pride, "You are vampire slayers. I know you have a million questions and we have a million answers, but all in good time. Right now, we are in the middle of a crisis. The hellmouth, which is where this school is located, has seen an increased amount of activity, meaning vampires and other demons are entering Sunnydale at an unheard of pace."

"That's all fine and dandy, but what do you want us to do about it?" Faith said bluntly as she walked in circles around the two men, "Is there some kind of training for this?"

"Yes and no." Wyndham-Pryce said as he stepped forward, "The fact is you are born with the tools to help you in your newfound fight against evil. You have strength you never realized and the ability to heal at a very high rate. Some things we can help with, like providing information about the vampires and demons you'll be facing. We can help with your training as well. All this will be explained over time. Our job is to impart our knowledge on you and see that you are prepared for what lies ahead."

"Is there another name we can call you besides Wyndham-Pryce?" Buffy asked while glancing at an old book on the table.  
"Well I'd prefer you addressed me using my given name, as that is proper protocol, but if you must know, by full name is Wesley." He said with a proud smile.

"Good, Wes it is." Buffy said and then sat down to look at the book closer.  
"No, it's Mr. Wesley Wyndham-Pryce to you Miss Summers." He said with an agitated voice.

"Oh stop getting all worked up Wes, it's just a name." Buffy answered shaking her head.  
"That will not be tolerated young lady..."

"Oh pipe down Wesley." The mayor interrupted, "They can call you Wes, okay? Good. Now, back to the problem at hand. We have information that suggests there is a gathering place for many of these vamps and demons down by the cemetery. It's near an old crypt just to the west of the entrance. We need you to go in there and well, clear the place out. While you're at it, try and find out who's in charge. We've heard rumors, but we need confirmation. If it's who we think it is, Sunnydale is in serious danger."

"Sounds like fun." Faith said with a smile, sitting up on the table beside Buffy.  
Wesley was stunned at Faith's seemingly cavalier attitude, "Fun? You call this fun? Surely you can understand the seriousness of the situation young lady."

"Take it down a notch Wesley, we talked about this." The mayor said calmly as he walked over to Faith, "He does have a point though Faith, this is a very serious situation. I know it's only your first day as slayers, which is why you have no way of knowing the kind of danger you are about to face."

"I don't know what you want me to do then, cry, run away screaming? What?" Faith said loudly, the ever-present smile fading for the first time, "I'm not afraid of death, if that's what you think. I'm more than ready to do this, so you can put your scare tactics away, because they don't work on me. Got it?"  
"Got it." The mayor said with a big smile, "I like you. You've got spunk. It's my job to keep you alive, so you'll have to excuse the kid gloves for now."

"Okay, I guess." Faith said, her anger disappearing as quickly as it came, "It's nice you care then or whatever."

Buffy watched intently as Faith went through a roller coaster of emotions and then broke the silence, "We should probably get started. What about school? Are we going to get some free pass or what?"

"Ah yes, that will be taken care of, this time, but you will be required to do your work, so don't even think of this as your get of school free card, because it isn't." the mayor added with a whimsical smile.

The two girls grabbed their stakes and took off to the cemetery.

Winifred 'Fred' Burkle walked out into the library from a secret room in the back, "Have the slayers been found?"  
The mayor walked over to the tall slender brunette, grabbed the folder from her hands and sat down at the table, "Yes Miss Burkle, they are on their first mission as we speak."

"That's good right?" Fred said as she sat down across from the mayor and crossed her long legs, "They seem like the perfect match from all the research I've been doing on them."

"I wouldn't be to sure about that." Wesley said as he walked up behind Fred, "I am sensing a lot of anger, rage and unwillingness to follow orders from Faith and a lack of commitment from the Summers girl."

"Oh you worry too much Wes." The mayor said with a chuckle, "I see good qualities in both these young women. I am actually feeling positive about our chances to ward off the real threat to Sunnydale."

"You can't possibly expect these two teenagers to be ready in time to fight the Horde? You know what happened to the last two. They need more time to prepare." Fred stated firmly, removing her glasses for effect as she stared back at the mayor.

"You don't have to tell me the risks involved, Fred. I am reminded of that every time I think of the last dozen slayers who have failed and lost their lives in the process." The mayor got to his feet and walked in a circle around the elongated table, stopping in front of a picture of Fred hanging on the wall, "Let's not forget Miss Burkle that you are still a teenager yourself."

"Yes, but I'm a couple years older than those two. I'm also not a slayer, so it's not a fair comparison to make." Fred responded as she walked over to the Mayor, "Listen, I know we have to stop the Horde, but we need to give the girls a chance to get some field experience before throwing them to the wolves."

"I believe Fred is right." Wesley said, lifting his head from the book he was reading, "I think I know just how to get them some experience."  
Fred's eyes lit up and a smile covered her face as she turned and walked over to Wesley, "How?"

"Bear with me, this text is a combination of ancient Sumerian and well, very poor English, but I believe the gist of it concerns a prophecy regarding the chosen two, who are polar opposites of each other. Does that not sound like Buffy and Faith to you?"

"Oh my god it does. They are so different it's like night and day." Fred said excitedly. "What else does it say?"

Wesley put on his reading glasses and continued, "It tells of a great power forged by the bond of the true slayers, a power greater than the sum of two parts. It says that in order to achieve their true power, one slayer must be willing to pay the ultimate price for the other."

The mayor was anything but excited, "No, I can't allow that. I won't allow that. We've seen enough slayers die and if I understand that prophecy right, it means the death of one slayer, will grant the other the power of two? Am I missing something here?"

"Perhaps Richard, it is vague and well, you know how prophecies tend to be highly subjective at the best of times, but the way I read it was that it was the bond of the two slayers that gave them their power." Wesley lifted his head up, "I'm wondering if perhaps just the fact one would be 'willing' to do that to save the other is all they mean."

"That does make sense. It would show the true bond of the slayers." Fred added as she walked over to the mayor, "This could be it. After so much pain and loss, I'm beginning to think we've found the chosen two."

"I hope you're right Fred, because I don't think I can stand to lose another slayer." The major said, his face said it all as he walked towards the exit, "Oh Wesley, contact Giles would you, I think he's going to want to be apprised of this new development."

"Yes sir." Wesley said and then walked into the back room and got on the phone.  
"Giles here?"

"Hello Giles, it's Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Richard wanted me to fill you in the latest developments."  
"If it isn't about you destroying the Horde then I'm not interested." Giles snapped as he flipped through the web site on his computer.

"Ah, charming as always Giles. Well, it's a bit premature but..."  
"Do not even start with the premature drivel, call me back when you have something concrete. The Watchers Council deals in fact, not hunches. We gave up that long ago. Is that clear?"  
"Yes, of course." Wesley replied, but soon realized Giles had already hung up on him.

**Back at the crypt.**

There was something very creepy about a cemetery, even in the light of day. Both girls were cautious as they moved closer to the crypt, still no sign of a single demon or vamp.

A large concrete slab was covering the entrance, but the girls had little trouble removing it from the picture.  
Faith climbed down a long dark stairway, finally putting her feet on the ground some 50 feet below.

Buffy joined moments later and the two girls made their way through the first room, pushing crates and cobwebs out of the way, as they came to a large metal door with a note attached to it.  
Pulling it off the door, Faith opened it up and read it out loud.

Dear slayers.

Welcome to my humble home. Don't even think that you're alone.  
I'm the one you're looking for. Gimme a smile and open the door.

"Well, isn't that a wonderful poem. I see we're dealing with an artsy vamp. That's sweet." Buffy said as she dropped the note on the ground.  
"At least it rhymed, sort of." Faith laughed and then followed Buffy through the door.  
They made their way through a number of long passages before ending up in front of another door with yet another note attached.

Faith grabbed it and began reading.

You made it this far, you must feel proud.  
Walk right in and speak out loud.  
This time you'll meet my friend.

I can't help it if this is your end.

"Okay, I want to kill this guy for making me read this crap." Faith said as she ripped up the note.  
They walked into the next room to find a large demon standing against the far wall. It was 7 feet tall and yet skinny as a bone. Pretty much all bone really, as it was nothing more than a skeleton.

"It doesn't even look alive." Faith said as they moved closer.

"Maybe not, but let's not wait to find out." Buffy took the lead and lunged towards the large skeleton, but missed with her stake as it stepped to the side. With a demented look on it's face, the skeleton then took one long stride towards Buffy.

Faith moved in, but before she could take a swing at the skeleton, she felt a pain in her leg. Looking down, she saw a piece of bone gnawing away at her ankle. She tried to kick it off, but it had a good hold of her and wasn't letting go.

Buffy saw Faith grimace in pain and rushed over without hesitation, grabbed the piece of bone and pulled it off.

With the strange piece of bone turning it's attention to Buffy, Faith managed to get to her feet. She looked the situation over and with blood still dripping from her ankle, she leaped up onto Buffy's back, hopped over the skeleton, and as it turned to face her, she lunged forward and staked it, turning both it and the piece of bone to dust in the process.

Sill reeling from the pain, Faith sat back down on the ground, "Well, isn't this special. Fun place. It's tough getting used to getting attacked by a corpse though. What the hell have we got ourselves into?

"I don't know, but it was kind of exciting don't ya think?" Buffy asked as she pulled up Faith's leather pants and saw the nasty cut on her ankle.  
Faith smiled and nodded, "Yeah, it was."

Buffy smiled back at Faith, and then looked back at her ankle, "I'm going to have to find something to cover your ankle with. Are you going to be able keep going? That's a nasty bite it took out of you."

"I'll be fine. I'll shake it off and we can get going." Faith said and then tried to stand up, but fell back down, "Maybe I do need it wrapped up for some support."  
"I think so." Buffy said as she looked around the room, spotting something in the far corner.

She got up and walked over and lifted one crate off another, and opened the one underneath. Inside were boxes of t-shirts, books and other items, all with the same name on them, Sunnydale High.

Picking a couple t-shirts from the pile, Buffy moved back over to Faith and did her best to clean the wound, cover it up and tie it nice and tight until they could get back and get some real medical attention for it.

Faith took Buffy's arm and got back to her feet, took a few steps and gave Buffy a thumb's up, "Not bad at all. You do good work. Thanks."

"Don't mention it; you saved my ass earlier, so I guess we really are a team." Buffy smiled and then moved towards the door.

As was the case before, a note was waiting for them.  
"Let me get this one." Buffy said as he pulled the note of the wall and read it.

You must have killed my skeleton, that's not nice, but you can still come in.  
I will admit to being impressed, I would go on but I do digress.

I'm getting curious about my guests, I do wonder what'll happen next.

Through the next door you will come, but heed the warning on the drum.

"Oh god this is insane." Faith laughed out loud, "It's like were dealing with some demonic version of The Cat in the Hat? I mean, maybe his plan is to have us kill ourselves to escape the agony of his lame ass riddles."

Buffy laughed at Faith's sense of humor, "You might be right and they might just succeed if we have to read too many more of these things."

Their eyes met as they shared a laugh together and they looked deep into each other's souls as time stood still for them. Shaking her head and turning away from Buffy, Faith cleared her head and opened the door. Inside the room were a handful of vamps, standing all in a row, apparently waiting for the slayers to arrive.

Upon entering the room, the door behind them locked and there were no exits expect the one behind the group of vamps.

Faith turned to Buffy, "I'll take the two on the right, you can take the two on the left and we'll share the last one. Sound good?"  
"Works for me." Buffy said and then rushed towards to the two vamps on the left side of the room.

After some routine fighting, they had dispatched all five vamps and once again made their way to the middle of the room, but stopped in front of a large oil drum.  
"Well, what did that stupid riddle say, heed the warning of the drum?" Faith said, repeating the words from the note.  
"Yep, that's right." Buffy agreed as she looked all around the drum for any warnings.

Faith joined her, but they couldn't find one bit of writing anywhere. "That's just great. Now what?"

"I'm not sure." Buffy said scratching her head for the answer, "Maybe on the inside of the drum. Not sure what else we can do right now."  
"We might as well try." Faith shrugged and then pulled at the large wooden lid.

With a little help from Buffy, they pulled the lid off the drum and took a look inside.  
It had no liquid in it, but there was something at the very bottom so Faith dove in and with Buffy holding her legs, she picked the note up and slid back up to her feet.  
Opening the note, they read it together.  
  
Isn't it amazing what you have done? I bet ya never thought it would be this much fun.  
Now that you've come closer it's time for you to pay. I do not like intruders getting in my way.  
I hope you learn your lesson, when I take you down. It's really nothing personal, but I will run this town.

If you dare to open the door, it will be your last. When you see what's inside, I will have the last laugh.

"Okay, enough with the riddles." Faith said, sitting down beside the drum and staring right at the door ahead of them, "You know, if we're walking into some kind of trap or explosion or something, we better have more than just good healing powers, we better have access to a nice resurrection spell while we're at it."

"It could be a bluff. Listen, you head back to the entrance and I'll go through the door." Buffy said calmly as she put her arm around Faith's waist and tried helping her up.

"Get your hands off of me." Faith snapped as she pushed Buffy away, "Who do you think you are deciding who goes and who stays? We're a team. We do this together or not at all. Oh, and by the way, the door behind us is locked, so we're stuck anyway."

"Fine, no need to get all bent out of shape. Geez, I was just being practical. You have the sore ankle and who knows what lies ahead. I was just trying to help." Buffy took a step closer to Faith, "Well?"

"Well what?" Faith said as she got to her feet and got right up in Buffy's face, "If you are waiting for some apology for not crawling out the door like a scared puppy, well, you can kiss my ass."

"Don't flatter yourself, I wouldn't kiss your ass if..." before she could finish her colorful sentence the door in front of them came crashing down and a pack of vamps came stampeding towards them.

There was no time to think as both girls jumped into action.  
Slowly, but surely they turned each and every vamp to dust, but only after taking some serious damage and leaving them both out of breath and covered with bruises.

Faith looked over at Buffy, who was in some real pain, "Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good."  
Buffy struggled to catch her breath, "I'm fine. I just got winded."

"I hope that fast healing kicks in soon or we'll be no match for who or whatever is in that next room." Faith said, her ankle now the least of her worries.  
A loud noise from the room just ahead got both girls attention in a hurry and they slowly got to their feet and faced the doorway as a shadowy figure moved towards them. It was hard to tell anything about what was actually moving, with the shadow looking more like a big round ball than that of a person of some kind.

Buffy moved to her left and slid up against the far wall so she could have a better look at was moving towards them, but what she saw was enough to make her freeze in her tracks. Just not from fear. Instead, she saw a tiny little marble sliding forward, a microscopic camera mounted above it, creating an illusion of a giant ball of some kind.

Faith saw Buffy laughing, knew that was good news and made her way over to her, "What's so funny?"

Buffy just pointed towards the floor, "That."  
It took a couple seconds to get her eyes to stop blurring, but when Faith finally saw the tiny little gadget, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Let's hope that's the end of surprises for today." Buffy said as she clutched her ribs.  
"I'm all for that." Faith agreed as she felt pain in her neck, back and her ankle.

Just as they were relaxing, they heard another noise coming from the same room. This time it sounded mechanical.

They had no option but to investigate.

End of Chapter One.

Feedback is welcome and appreciated at 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Room 101, Sunnydale High School.**

Willow Rosenberg took her usual route to class, avoiding as many people as she could before settling into her chair in the back of room.  
Next to her was her best friend Xander Harris, who was doing what he did best, checking out the new girls in school, but his eyes stopped when he saw a beautiful blonde in the front row.

She was reading a book when Xander made his move, "Hi there, you must be new here.

I'm Xander; let me be the first to welcome you to Sunnydale High."

"Thanks, but I already know your name. Curious, last year you didn't say a word to me. I sat in front of you in three different classes and I don't think you even said hi." The blonde girl stood up and stared back at a terrified Xander, "Isn't it funny how even now you are still staring at the only new thing about me, my breasts!"

Lifting his eyes from the pretty girl's chest, Xander found the whole class was staring at him, "Um, no, no, I think you have me confused with someone else, sorry to bother you."

"Not so fast." Said the blonde as she pulled Xander back to her, "Since you're here, what did you want to ask me?"  
"Oh, nothing really. I was just wondering if you had the time. My watch is broke and I see you have one right there, so yes, that's what I wanted to ask." Xander said, letting out a sigh of relief at what he felt was a brilliant recovery.

"Don't you at least want to know my name?" she asked, her hands sliding up Xander's arm.  
"Um, no, I don't think I should. I think I should get back to my desk very fast. It's almost time for school to start." Xander turned and waved to the girl as he rushed back to his seat.

Willow didn't wait for Xander to get too comfortable before poking him in the arm, "What the heck was that? How can you not know her name?"

"Oh god, not you to?" Xander said as he put his head on his desk.  
"Yes, me to. My god Xander, we had lunch with her a lot last year. She's a friend of Cordy's. Ring any bells?" Willow asked as she kept raising her eyebrows until a light bulb went off in Xander's head.

"You mean that's Darla? No way." Xander looked back at the front of the class and then back to Willow, "Come on, look at her now? She's gorgeous. She looks like a model. You can't tell me I would have missed this before."

"She got some boobs Xander, that's about it. She was always pretty." Willow added as the teacher walked into the room.

Xander stood up and cleared his throat, "I'd just like to take a moment and apologize to Darla for forgetting her name. I feel terrible and want to make it up to her. So, I've decided to sing her a song to humble myself in her presence."

Darla was laughing her head off as were all the other kids in the class, but the Miss Finkerbud, was not near as enthused, "Xander Harris, you can take your song and sing it to the principle. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, stop interrupting my class."

"But, class hasn't even started Miss Fingerbutt." Xander said, purposely mispronouncing her name.

"It's Finkerbud and you know it Mr. Harris." The angry teacher said as she ushered Xander out of her class. "Get down to the principles office this instant."

Darla gave Xander a smile as he stumbled out of the class, making the stroll to the principle's office fun for a change.

** Back in the crypt.**  
  
The two injured slayers entered the room ready to fight to the death, but were surprised to find it empty but for another note on the floor in the middle of the room.  
Buffy picked up and read it.  
  
If you're reading this, I guess you made it through alive.  
Enjoy this feeling while you can, for you will not survive.  
This was merely a beginner's test, but it's nice to know what lies ahead.

One thing for sure, I shall predict, next time we meet you will be dead.

The Horde.  
  
"Well, either our big bad wasn't here or he escaped somehow." Faith said as she scanned the room.  
"I don't think it was here either, but he sure knew we were coming. There's no way he could get all those idiotic poems/riddles made so far in advance. Could he?" Buffy asked, just as she felt a breeze against the back of her neck.

Faith felt it at the same time and they both slowly turned to see and smell a colored gas being pumped into the room from a small hole in the far wall.  
Buffy took Faith's hand and they ran out of room, closed the door behind them and stood with their backs against the wall staring back at each other.  
"It looks like our friend has one last surprise for us." Faith said, stating the obvious.

They noticed the boxes in the corner, rushed over, opened them up and grabbed as many t-shirts as they could carry and put them under the door.

Having bought themselves a little more time, the two girls began searching the room for anything that would help them escape.

Scurrying around, they overturned every box in the room, pounded on the walls, tried to get through the locked door and generally exhausted every possible option, before they sat down beside the drum and took a break.

"This is not how I want to die." Buffy said as she kicked the drum out of frustration.  
"We're not gonna die, at least not in this dump." Faith gave the drum a kick for good measure and when she did it began creaking deep inside.

Both girls stepped back as it began rumbling and then rocking from side to side and after a couple of minutes the top of the drum flew off. Once the drum had landed on the floor and stopped moving, the two girls walked up to where it used to be and looked down into the hole it had left.

To their delight, there was a light shining up through the bottom and without hesitation they climbed down the narrow hole, ending up somewhere deep under Sunnydale. With only one path to follow, they made their way through the zigzag path until they come upon a small stream of water running down the side of the west wall and then through a small crack in the east wall.

When they turned to see where they'd come from they found the path was gone and nothing but dirt and rock remained.  
They focused on the stream of water and with a little teamwork had found a way to reach the top of the stream and as soon as they did a wall opened up and they crawled through it, ending up on a rocky ledge overlooking Sunnydale.

It was a long and uncomfortable trek down the rocky hillside, but eventually the two girls made it down.

"Oh god, I've never been so happy to see a bunch of houses in all my life." Faith said as she looked out at the city in front of her.  
"I know what you mean." Buffy quickly agreed, "Right now I need to go home and have a nice long shower."  
"Lucky you." Faith said with a sigh.

"Why's that? You can't tell me you don't have a shower where you live?" Buffy asked, curious to hear Faith's response.  
"It's a long story. It's not important at all." Faith said with a fake smile, "You go get cleaned up. You earned it."  
"Wait." Buffy said as she grabbed Faith by the arm. "What's going on here?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Faith said as she tried to reassure Buffy, "I'm fine, really. I'm just tired is all."  
"I don't think so. Okay, why don't you come back to my place and we can get cleaned up." Buffy said, taking Faith's hand so she couldn't say no.

"But..."  
"But nothing, you're coming, so you might as well enjoy the walk." Buffy smiled as she started walking back to her house with Faith by her side.  
  
** Deep in the pits of the Hellmouth**.

Spike was standing on a large platform trying to get a very large mob of vamps to listen to him.  
"Alright you useless blokes, it's time to for action. We've been in Sunnydale long enough and now we need to make our move." Spike pulled a cloth up and off a canvas, revealing the pictures of two pretty girls. "These two girls are the future."  
"Hey Spike, those aren't the slayers, you got the pictures mixed up." A vamp said, somewhere in the crowd.

"Who said that?" Spike asked loudly. "Who the hell said that? It doesn't matter, you're obviously a moron. The slayers are not the key to this plan. They are merely the pawns in the master plan." Spike then pointed back to the picture, "This is Joyce Summers and this is her daughter, Dawn Summers. They are how we control the slayers."

"I don't understand." Yelled another voice in the crowd.  
"Me either, until we kill the slayers, they will still be on the loose and a threat to all of us." Said another.

"Why do I get stuck with all the bloody incompetent blokes?" Spike said and then turned and staked the vamp beside him, "Now, if I have your attention, we can move on."  
The crowd became deathly quiet as Spike went into great detail about his elaborate plan.  
  
**Back at Sunnydale High.**  
  
Lunchtime at any high school could be anything from a quiet boring meal to a massive food fight or some form of humiliation, all depending on who you were.  
In Xander Harris' case, he was close to the inside of many cliques, but never quite made it to the core. So, he usually had his lunch with his best friend Willow, who had much the same problem fitting in.  
On this particular day Xander was in a very good mood and was all smiles when he sat down beside Willow, "Greetings. Isn't it a wonderful day?"

Willow looked at Xander as if he'd lost his mind, but since that happened a lot nothing he did phased her much, "Well, I guess it's as good a day as any. Why are you so happy?"

"Oh Willow dear, didn't you see my exit today? It was amazing. Darla smiled at me." Xander said brimming with pride and even a little bit of confidence. "And I don't mean those smiles where they laugh at me, nope, because I'm pretty good at picking those out by now. This one was a sweet genuine smile and I can't get it out of my head."

"I see." Willow said with a nod, "So what happens next?"  
"Oh, nothing is going to happen, she'll forget she even looked at me and that's fine. This moment should take me through to the end of the year." Xander said as he opened up his lunch and began eating.  
As he took his first bite, Darla walked up to the table with Cordelia and Harmony by her side, "Hello Xander."

Xander looked up and tried to smile, but had to finish chewing his food before he could even speak, "Hi there. Hi. Darla right? See, I remember. So, how's it going? You girls having fun?

"Oh you have no idea the fun we have together." Darla said as she smiled at both girls then looked back at Xander, "I wanted to talk to you, do you mind if we sit down?  
"Of course not, sit down. Eat. Drink. Be merry." Xander muttered and then pushed Willow to the end of the table, "Scoot over."

Willow shook her head at Xander's barbaric behavior, but knew he'd be apologizing later.  
"Thanks." Darla said as she sat down across from Xander, "I was just thinking about this morning and I couldn't stop laughing at your performance today. It was really sweet what you did." Darla was twirling her hair with her fingers and sliding her tongue across her lips as she spoke, "Anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to a party on Friday. It's a big college preview blast, I'd love to go with you."

"Me? For real?" Xander asked with a look of shock and confusion on his face. "This isn't some kind of joke is it? Cause if it is, just shoot me now and save me the time."  
"Oh Xander, you're such a kidder." Darla smiled and put her hand on Xander's arm, "If you don't want to go, that's okay."

"No, I didn't' say that. I just...well okay, I'd love to go with you anywhere. To the moon even. Well, if we had a way to get there. I don't think we could just rent a space shuttle..."

Darla put her finger up against Xander's mouth, "Shhhh, sometimes you just need to nod. There's something to be said for the strong, silent type. You can pick me up at 8. Here's my address." She said as she handed him a piece of paper.  
"I'll be there." Xander said, choosing to keep it short and sweet.  
"Great, I look forward to it." Darla smiled, got up from the table and then walked back over to where she usually sits.

Cordelia sat opposite Willow, studying the quirky redhead as she sipped her orange juice, "So Willow, I was wondering what you were doing this Friday?"  
"What? Are you talking to me?" Willow asked as she looked around the room.  
"Yes, you are the only Willow aren't you? Yes, you are. Now, back to my question, what are you doing this Friday?" Cordy asked in a matter of fact way.

"I don't know, I guess I'll probably be studying or maybe I'll watch some TV or something. Why are you asking me and aren't you going to the party with Darla?" Willow said as she looked into Cordy's eyes to see if she'd been taken over by a demon or something.

"No, I won't be going to that one. Anyway, I was just hoping you might want to come over to my place." Cordy said with a sexy smile.  
"Okay, what's going on here? Do you want something?" Willow said bluntly as she tried to stare Cordy into a confession of sorts.

"You're as paranoid as Xander." Cordy shook her head in disgust as Willow's suspicious mind, "What ulterior motive do you think I have?"  
Willow tried to read Cordy, but just couldn't tell if she was being sincere, "I have no idea what this is about, which is why I asked what you wanted? Seriously Cordelia, it's not like you and I hang out together, so something must've happened."

"You're right, but that's before, this is now. I'm not going to beg. If you don't want to come over, that's fine. I was just trying to be nice." Cordelia grabbed her purse and got to her feet.

"I'm sorry, everything is happening so fast." Willow said, shaking her head and trying to think at the same time, "First Xander gets asked on a date by Darla, now you want me to come to your house? You have to admit, that's a pretty big coincidence."

"That's fine, but I don't have time for your insecurities. I thought this might be fun, but I can see I was wrong. Have a nice lunch Willow." Cordelia turned and walked back to the table with Darla.  
Xander was still in his own dreamland, but did notice Cordelia talking to Willow, "So, what did she want? Help with her homework?"

"Oh god, I bet that's it. She wanted me to come over and do her science project. I'm so dumb. I actually thought she wanted to be friends." Willow shook her head and laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh.

"Hey there, just a second." Xander said as he watched Willow's smile turn to disappointment, "You went from zero to sixty without telling me what the middle part was about."

"You nailed it. Cordelia asked me to go to her house on Friday. I knew it was too good to be true and now I know why. Anyway, let's not talk about that." Willow said softly and then smiled as she changed the subject. "I guess you and Darla are really going out then?"

"I still can't believe it and I'm prepared for this being a big joke, but if there's a chance she actually likes me, I can't pass that up." Xander said with a reserved smile.  
"Well, I think she should feel lucky to have you as her date. Once she gets to know you she'll see what I see, a nice guy with a great sense of humor."

"Oh, don't call me nice. Guys don't like nice." Xander said with a frown, "Oh and by the way, you forgot to say how brutally handsome I am. But, I'll let it go this time."  
"Mighty big of ya." Willow chuckled and then went back to finishing her lunch.

**Outside Buffy's house.**

Buffy and Faith arrived at Buffy's house completely wiped from the fighting and then the long, long walk back home.  
Inside, Buffy took Faith up to her bedroom and they both sat on the bed and quickly lay down on their backs. It didn't take long before they were both fast asleep.

Faith woke up first and slowly got to her feet and stretched her muscles and then took a look around Buffy's room.  
She picked up a picture of Buffy and Dawn with their mom and dad and couldn't help smile and envy what that must be like.

Buffy got up to see Faith staring at the picture and hopped to her feet and walked up behind her, "That's from an eternity ago. Things were different then."  
"Different? How?" Faith asked as she turned to face Buffy.

"I haven't seen my father in years. I get a post card here and there from some exotic city, a phone call about once a month, but he's always working." Buffy said as she took the picture from Faith and smiled at a time she'd almost forgotten. "Things just aren't the same now. I know something is going on, but my mom won't tell me. I'm almost afraid to ask. My mom just clams up when I mention my dad anymore. I have no idea what caused it, but we aren't the same happy family you see in the picture."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Faith turned and walked back over to the bed and sat down.

"No, it's not your fault. I love the picture because it's such a good memory." Buffy sat the picture back on her dresser and then went and sat down beside Faith, "I don't mean to pry, but how are things with your parent's?"

Faith tensed up at the question and once again got to her feet, "There's not much to tell really. I have no dad and my mom's not really a mom, so I pretty much live on my own now, but I like it."

"I'm sorry. That must be hard." Buffy said, not really sure what to say.  
"It's fine."

Buffy walked back over to Faith and touched her shoulder, "Hey, if you want, you could stay here. We do have a spare bedroom. I'd love to have you."  
"No, I couldn't do that. It's too much. I don't like owing people." Faith pulled away from Buffy and looked out her window.

"I don't look at this as you owing me. I want you to stay here. It's what friends do for each other." Buffy said with a smile as she tried to change Faith's sullen look.  
"It's really nice of you to offer, but I don't think I can accept."  
"Oh well, I wonder how I can get you to change your mind." Buffy said with a grin and then walked into the bathroom.

Faith followed, her eyes opening wide as she saw the big beautiful shower and the large counter and sink, the huge cabinet for all the many accessories and she looked at Buffy, who was smiling back at her, "This is nice. Oh how I miss a good shower. You are making this hard B."

"B?" Buffy asked with a grin, "Well B it is, but you have to stay. Whoever gives out a nickname must grant the other a wish. My wish is for you to stay here with me. We are slayers, we will be spending a lot of time together, it even makes sense for that."  
Faith was smiling for the first time since they'd fought the last group of vamps and after opening the shower curtain and looking inside, she turned to Buffy, "Okay, you've gotta deal."

Buffy ran over and gave Faith a big warm hug, "I'm so happy you said yes."  
"Okay, no need to get all mushy on me." Faith smiled.  
"That's not mushy, that's just being nice." Buffy explained as she looked back into Faith's dark eyes.

"Are you going to kiss me or let me have a shower?" Faith said with a laugh as the two girls stood eye to eye for the longest time.  
"Um, sorry, I was just...yes, you can have the shower first. Just let me know what you need." Buffy said as she pulled back from Faith.  
"Thanks, I won't take long. I'd suggest we share it, but maybe another time." Faith said with a sexy grin.

Buffy smiled, but wasn't sure if Faith was joking around or serious, but she sure liked the idea. Her smile was still on her face when her eyes grew big and she turned and rushed back to the bathroom.

Even though she wanted to say something, as she stared at Faith's half-naked body, she couldn't for the life of her think of what it was. Not able to move or speak, she just stood there as Faith slipped out of her tight pants, taking in her sexy curves as Faith unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor.

Feeling her pulse racing and her temperature rising, Buffy took one last look at Faith's shapely round ass and started backing out of the bathroom.

Faith turned around and smiled at Buffy, "Hey, what can I do for ya."

Buffy was surprised, yet relieved, at Faith's calm reaction and she tried looking her in the eyes as she fought hard to think of why she was in the bathroom to begin with, "Um well, it's just that I was thinking...oh right, you don't have any clothes here."

"I guess you're right." Faith said as she slid out of her panties, "Well, who needs clothes, right?"  
"I can see you don't, but it might be a bit distracting at school. You know, for the boys." Buffy said as she turned to the side.

"Oh yes, boys do seem to get all worked up at the sight of a naked girl. It's good you don't or this might be a bit awkward." Faith teased, and then walked up behind Buffy and reached over and pushed the bathroom door closed.

"Why did you do that?"  
"In case someone came home of course. I wouldn't want your mom or sister to see me like this." Faith said as she slid her breasts up against Buffy's back.  
"I think I better go. I have to go do something." Buffy said as she grabbed the doorknob.

Faith stepped back and walked over to the shower, "Yes, it is getting a little warm in here isn't it? I'll get washed up and then I'll help you with your shower."

"What? No, no, no. I don't need any help. It's just standing under water right, so I can do that. Yep, I can." Buffy turned and walked out the door, closed it behind her and let out the biggest smile ever.  
  
End of Chapter Two.

Feedback is welcome and appreciated. Send any comments you might have to 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three.  
**  
**Back at the library.**  
  
Fred flipped through the pages of a gigantic old book, taking time to underline selected text as she went.  
  
Wesley did the same, as they compared notes from two separate, yet similar prophecies.  
  
"I need a break. How many differences do we have now? 3 or 4 was it?" Fred asked as she leaned back in her chair.  
  
"Yes, four differences in a thousand year old prophecy." Wesley got up and stretched his legs and as he did he found himself face to face with a vampire.  
  
Fred looked up and screamed as the vampire made a move towards Wesley.  
  
Wesley backed up, ran over to the shelf, picked up a cross and a stake and took a couple steps towards the vamp.  
  
"You can put that down. I'm not here to hurt anyone." The tall vamp said as he pulled out a letter and tossed it on the table, "Read it and do what it says or this school is going to have a very big disaster on it's hands."  
  
"Wait! Who are you and who sent you?" Wesley asked as he took the note from the table.  
  
"That's all explained in the letter. Don't follow me or send the slayers after me or you will be picking up body bags by the truck load." The vamp made his threat and took off out the door.  
  
Fred rushed over to Wesley and leaned over his shoulder as they looked at the letter.  
  
Hello Wesley and Richard.  
  
There are two ways I can achieve my goals. One is to kill everyone in Sunnydale. The second option doesn't have to be that way, but that's entirely up to you and the Watcher's Council.  
  
Within 72 hours, we will have the means to dictate our terms. When this takes place, you will have no bargaining power left.  
  
If you wish to save the residence of Sunnydale, you will remove the slayers from the picture and have the mayor declare a state of emergency and systematically evacuate the city.  
  
Once you have done this we will no longer be a concern for you.  
  
If however you choose to ignore this warning, we will go on a rampage, the likes of which you've never seen. When we're finished, we will bring the watchers and the slayers to the scene of the massacre and show you what your defiance has caused.  
  
You will not receive any further communication from us.  
  
The Horde.  
  
Both Fred and Wesley had grim looks on their faces, but soon they both were on the go.  
  
"I have to go see Richard downtown. Call Giles, tell him about the letter, and find out what he has to say about it. Also, call Buffy or Faith and find out if they are back yet. We are going to need a brainstorming session as soon as possible."  
  
Fred nodded yes and Wesley was out the door.  
  
Moving to the back room Fred called Giles, "Giles, we have a situation on our hands and we are going to need some backup."  
  
"Slow down Fred, what's the big emergency this time?" Giles asked without the least bit of urgency in his voice.  
  
"This is not a prank." Fred said loudly and firmly, "We received a warning from the Horde just now. It says to evacuate Sunnydale in 72 hours or they will slaughter everyone. They want the slayers to leave down and they say that's the only way to keep people alive."  
  
"No need to panic. I'll send an elite tactical support team to Sunnydale immediately. We have one in LA, so they could be there by tomorrow morning." Giles said, his hands now moving at a much faster pace, as he made some calls while continue to talk to Fred,  
  
"You do realize you can't do what they are saying. Under no circumstances do we or anyone else deal with threats like this by giving them what they want. It's terrorism plain and simple and it's not an option. Vampires or not, they will be dealt with the same way as all the others, quickly and decisively."  
  
"I feel better already." Fred said as she exhaled, "I'm still not sure the slayers are prepared for this. They've had only one morning to get used to the idea. I have a good feeling about them, but I feel like they need more time to work together and become a team."  
  
"We don't have that time and neither do they. Either they succeed or they die." Giles showed no emotion as he continued to make his plans.  
  
The look on Fred's face showed the shock she felt at Giles cold, hard words, "Oh god, that is so harsh. They are just kids. You know, they might last longer if they had some time to train for this job. It's not easy and it's not something all teenagers are mentally capable of at this stage of their lives."  
  
"Don't you lecture me on how to fight vampires, train slayers or anything else for that matter." Giles yelled at the top of his lungs, "I've been doing this since before you were born and will not let a wide eyed, naïve little girl tell me how to do my job. Is that clear?"  
  
Fred was furious at how he was talking to her, but held her tongue because she wanted to stay around and help the two slayers.  
  
"I asked you a question Miss Burkle."  
  
"Yes, it's clear." Fred said, gritting her teeth the whole time.  
  
"Good, now get to work and do your job and maybe, just maybe we can avoid any bloodshed. I'll have the tactical unit contact you when they arrive. Just don't forget, these are support people. The slayers are still our main weapons. You better get them ready."  
  
Fred didn't have a chance to respond as Giles hung up as soon as he'd finished barking out his orders.  
  
With no time to be hurt or angry, Fred was back on the phone calling Buffy's house.  
  
Buffy picked up the phone after a couple rings, "Hello."  
  
"Buffy, you don't know me but my name is Fred and I work with Wesley and the mayor. We have a serious situation brewing and we need you and Faith to get back here for a meeting. How did things go in the crypt? Did you find anything?"  
  
"Did you say Fred?" Buffy enquired, not sure if she heard right.  
  
"Yes, it's a long story and I'd love to tell you all about it, but now is not that time. Is Faith there?"  
  
"She's in the shower right now. But, she should be done any time, she's been in there way too long. Why?"  
  
"We got a letter from the Horde and we need to start working on a plan to deal with it. You two are the key, so we need you here. Just get here as soon as possible. Thanks." Fred said politely, knowing she'd probably just terrified the two girls.  
  
Buffy hung up the phone and knocked on the bathroom door, but Faith didn't answer. With no time for pleasantries, she opened it and walked in.  
  
What she saw was Faith in a very private moment.  
  
"What the hell are you doing barging in on me like this?" Faith said, covering up her naked body and getting up from the floor.  
  
"I'm so sorry. God, I'm sorry, but I just got a call that we are needed back at the school and it's an emergency. The Horde has sent a warning and we are going to work on a plan I guess. I'm sorry, but I need to shower now." Buffy said, looking anywhere but at Faith.  
  
"I can't say I'm thrilled about staying with you if you're going to keep doing this crap." Faith said as she walked up and then past Buffy and stood in front of her closet, "Hey, I guess I have to wear some of your clothes for now. You don't mind do ya? Good. I'll help myself."  
  
Buffy wasn't thrilled with the idea, but was in no position to argue, "Sure, take what you want. We can go shopping for you another day."  
  
"Swell." Faith said as she walked out the door.  
  
Seconds after Faith left the room Buffy had undressed and stepped into the shower. Turning on the water she began washing her hair and enjoying the feeling of the warm water splashing over her aching body.  
  
As she reached down to find the soap she felt someone's hand and jumped back screaming. Wiping the water from her eyes she was stunned to see Faith sitting on the edge of the bathtub smiling up at her, "Oh, is this bothering you?"  
  
"Are you crazy? I'm showering you know. Get out." Buffy screamed.  
  
Faith stood in front of her, looking her over from head to toe, smiling at the sight of Buffy's firm young body.  
  
"Stop ogling me. God, do you have any manners?"  
  
"Actually, I think it was you who barged in on me. Or did you forget that?" Faith asked as she held the soap in hand.  
  
"Why you little...fine, be this way. It's not my fault you couldn't control yourself had to grind your hot little body all over the bathroom floor. What were you doing with your hands again?"  
  
Faith was steaming mad by that point and reached into the shower, grabbed Buffy and they started wrestling back and forth until Faith slipped and fell out of the shower and onto the bathroom floor.  
  
Horrified at what she'd done, Buffy climbed out of the shower and leaned over Faith to see if she was still breathing. Relieved to see that she was, she began trying to wake her up.  
  
Finally, she tried pushing on her chest. She's seen it on TV enough and figured it couldn't hurt.  
  
Putting her hand just above Faith's ample breasts, she began gently pushing downward. Each time her hand seemed to move lower and lower until she was no longer pushing on her chest, but caressing Faith's breasts.  
  
Faith opened her eyes and looked up at the naked blonde slayer, "So, do you fondle all your guests or am I just the lucky one?"  
  
Buffy was just relieved that Faith was okay and leaned down and gave her a hug.  
  
"Well, I should get hurt more often. You're a very pretty nurse."  
  
Pulling back, Buffy looked down at Faith, "Oh god, I've made a mess of you now. You're going to have to change."  
  
"That's okay, I didn't like this outfit anyway. It's way too ugly for me to wear."  
  
Buffy's smile turned to a much different look in a hurry, "Watch what you call ugly, missy."  
  
Faith smiled at Buffy's reaction, "Relax B, I was just teasing. Sorry, I do that a lot; must be a defense mechanism."  
  
"Oh, I guess I'm not used to that." Buffy said softly as an embarrassed look covered her face, "Now can I have the soap please so I can finish this shower?"  
  
Getting to her feet Faith began to take off her wet clothes as she held the soap away from Buffy.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing? Are you always this slow?" Faith asked with a smirk.  
  
Buffy stood still and smiled back at Faith, "I haven't had any girls get naked in front of me in my own bathroom, so I guess I'm not sure how to react."  
  
"Shows what you've been missing." Faith said as she walked past Buffy and stepped into the shower. She turned and held her hand out towards Buffy. "Don't be shy."  
  
Buffy shook her head, but didn't walk away and finally took Faith's hand and stepped into the shower with her.  
  
"See, it's not so bad now is it?" Faith asked as she grabbed a washcloth and began washing Buffy's back and shoulders.  
  
"It may not be bad, but it sure is different." Buffy said, letting out a slight moan as Faith's hands caressed her lower back. "Wow, you sure know what you're doing. That feels so good."  
  
"I'm glad you like it. You can do me after."  
  
"Do you?" Buffy said as she again stepped back.  
  
"Yes, do my back. You sure have a dirty mind. Is sex all you think about?" Faith asked while trying to keep a straight face.  
  
"No, I just don't know how to deal with you being here like this, all naked and so close." Buffy said, as she moved back and let Faith continue washing her body.  
  
Faith slid her hands down over Buffy's ass cheeks, slowly moving over each perfectly shaped cheek, before sliding down her slender legs, then moving back up the front of Buffy's knees, thighs and between her legs.  
  
Buffy was doing her best not to react as Faith's hand slid over her pussy lips, biting her tongue and then licking her lips as she was becoming highly aroused. She felt Faith slide her hands up her tummy and then over her firm round breasts, stopped to look into Buffy's eyes as she cupped her breasts in her hands.  
  
"Are you always this friendly with people you just meet?" Buffy asked softly, letting her hands slide down Faith's back and over her firm ass.  
  
"Actually no, I don't really like people that much. I just feel something when I'm with you. I can't explain it...it's just so strong." Faith whispered softly.  
  
"I know what you mean. I have never been attracted to anyone like this before." Buffy said as she leaned in and kissed Faith on the lips.  
  
Faith put her arms around Buffy and kissed her back hard.  
  
They kissed for the longest time when the phone began to ring again.,  
  
As Buffy pulled back from the kiss, Faith stopped her, "Don't get it."  
  
"I have to and I think you know that."  
  
"I know." was all Faith could say as Buffy got out of the shower, rushed into her room and picked up the phone.  
  
"Buffy, is that you?"  
  
"Yes, but who's this?" Buffy asked, then got up and looked for a towel.  
  
"This is your watcher, Mayor Wilkins. I believe you've talked to Fred and know of the situation, but we've moved the meeting to my office. You can't miss it. We'll have a buffet and some snacks for you kids. Be here at 7 PM sharp and don't be late. I believe in being prompt. Right then, you have fun until then. Bye now. "  
  
Faith put a towel over Buffy's shoulder, "Who was that."  
  
"Just more slayer stuff I guess. We have a meeting with our watcher's at 7 tonight." Buffy said as she tried to dry off, but was distracted with Faith so close to her.  
  
"That's fine with me. That gives us a couple hours to rest and relax a bit." Faith said, then took a step back and dropped her towel.  
  
"Okay, this has got to stop."  
  
"What?" Faith asked with an innocent smile.  
  
"You being naked all the time, I can't think when I see you like this." Buffy said, once again turning her head.  
  
"Geez, I didn't know I repulsed you so much." Faith picked up her towel and covered up again.  
  
"Oh stop it. You know that's not what I meant." Buffy got up, walked over to her dresser and searched for something to wear.  
  
"Okay, let's just get dressed and go watch some TV or something for a couple hours." Faith said as she looked over Buffy's limited wardrobe, "When do your sister and mom get home?"  
  
"It's different each night for my mom. It all depends on how busy she is. Dawn gets home around 4 every day." Buffy said as she rummaged through her clothes.  
  
"How old is Dawn?"  
  
"She's 15 now." Buffy pulled up her favorite pair of jeans and watched as Faith grabbed her favorite top, "Put that down."  
  
"What? You actually wear this thing?" Faith said as she tossed the top towards Buffy, "It's a bit blah if you ask me."  
  
"Thank you little miss fashion critic, but I like it and think it looks great on me. I've been told it brings out my eyes." Buffy said as she looked in the mirror.  
  
"Sure, because they couldn't see your breasts so what else would they say? You do know black covers up your best assets, right?" Faith said as she picked out a white t-shirt and pulled it on.  
  
"First of all, that's crude. Secondly, it wasn't a guy who said that about my eyes, geez, it was my mom. She is very honest about how I look. Lastly..." she started to speak and then took another look at Faith in the white t-shirt and shook her head, "Damn it; that does look hot."  
  
"I told ya." Faith said with a big smile as she strutted out of the room.  
  
Buffy removed her top and grabbed another of her white t-shirts and pulled it on, looked in the mirror and was very happy about how she looked.  
  
Out in the living room Faith had the TV on and was sitting curled up on the large loveseat, "You have nothing on your TV right now."  
  
"Don't yell at me, I'm usually in school at this time of day." Buffy said as she sat down in front of Faith.  
  
Faith tapped the loveseat, "You can sit here with me you know."  
  
"I just like the floor." Buffy smiled and turned towards the TV.  
  
"Suit yourself." Faith said as she began flipping through the channels.  
  
**Meanwhile, down below the earth.**  
  
A group of vamps were hard at work building a strange contraption, while Spike was having a meeting with a stranger.  
  
"Okay, let's go over a few things here before we begin. Who the bloody hell are you and why did they let you in?" Spike grabbed the person by the neck and pushed them up against the wall, "You better talk fast, because I'm not a patient man."  
  
With lightning quick reflexes, the tall athletic man had Spike's arm up behind his back and his face against the cold hard rock, "You were saying?"  
  
"Sometimes I get carried away with all the bravado involved with being a leader. So, who are you?" Spike asked as he tried to break free, then relaxed and looked up at the person, "If you don't kill me now, I will kill you if I don't hear a good explanation."  
  
"My name's not as important as what I can do for you." The man said, releasing Spike as they continued, "I know of you Spike. Most everyone in this line of work knows of you. You have big plans and lofty goals. So far you've yet to follow through on any of these plans."  
  
"I've had about enough. I don't know you. I don't like you. Why don't you just sod off. "Spike said, turning his back and walking towards the platform.  
  
"I know you have a temper, so I'll let this slide." The man said, adjusting his suit, "I'm offering you a chance to be part of something bigger than the Horde. How's that grab ya?"  
  
"You sure do talk a lot, but I've heard nothing that interests me."  
  
"If you'd stop with the attitude and sit down and hear what I have to say, you might change your mind."  
  
Spike turned to the man, sat down in his chair and motioned for him to continue.  
  
"Thank you." He said, pulling out a large piece of paper from his jacket and handing it to Spike, "This is a map of your little area. Just to show you how immense our network is. We have people in your organization and you have no clue about it. They gave us these maps. Pretty darn impressive don't ya think? For vamps that is. You aren't the brightest light bulbs around after all."  
  
"Again, I give you a chance and you blow it. I don't have any more time to listen to your pointless ramblings. Now get the hell out of my crypt." Spike said without so much as blinking.  
  
"I wasn't finished." The man said as he took a step towards Spike, "Perhaps I should get to the point. I am part of worldwide conglomerate, the likes of which you can't possibly comprehend. We deal with humans and demons of any kind. We effectively control a vast majority of the world's wealth, oil and land. So why don't you stop thinking so small and join us and be part of the new future."  
  
"I'm not impressed with all your yammering, especially when you still haven't mentioned who you work for." Spike got to his feet again and walked over to the much taller man, "Besides, I work alone and I do just fine. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. Now get out."  
  
"Well, don't say we didn't ask. Next time you see me, I won't release you from my death lock. So enjoy your time planning your pathetic little schemes." The man took out his business card and tossed it at Spike's feet. "One last thing, if we didn't know that the slayer was going to kill you, we'd do it ourselves. This will be much more fun to watch. You have a nice day now."  
  
Spike reached down and picked up the business card, Charles Gunn, Vice President of Wolfram & Hart, L.A. Division.  
  
After reading it, Spike tossed it into the pit and went about his business.  
  
Outside the crypt Charles Gunn made a phone call, "He didn't take the bait, but that's no surprise. He's as arrogant as we were led to believe. Do you want me take him out?"  
  
A man sitting at a fancy desk with a pretty blonde girl sitting on his lap, "No, let's see how he fairs against the chosen ones. If he dies, he's no longer a threat. If he succeeds, he's still worth another shot at recruiting. Keep an eye on him and let me know if he has any high profile visitors."  
  
"I take it Spike isn't ready to join forces yet?" the blonde asked as she hung up the phone.  
  
"It's his loss. I don't care one way or the other, but some of the partners seem to think he'd be a good acquisition." The man said as he dumped the blonde in his chair and got up. "You know, I'm getting real tired of the partners trying to go behind my back just and recruit any old vamp or demon that's still alive. Spike is overrated. He killed two slayers, big deal. In fact, why don't you take your pretty little ass and join Gunn in Sunnydale. I will feel better knowing there's a demon helping Gunn out."  
  
"Oh Angelus, Gunn is perfectly capable of handling things. He's learned from the best."  
  
"Anya, I didn't ask." Angelus said as he turned and gave Anya a menacing glare.  
  
"Okay, okay, lighten up Angelus. We've talked about this. You get careless when you lose your temper. Karma kiddo. It'll bite ya in the ass and we don't want that do we?" Anya asked with a cute smile.  
  
Angelus walked up behind Anya, put his hands around her tiny neck, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You're cute as a button and a great partner in crime, but when it comes to Spike I will not take any chances. Just go and I won't have to lose my temper."  
  
"I'm on my way. You know I hate to leave you like this." Anya said as she spun around so she was facing Angelus, "One other thing, I've noticed a good deal of activity in the Portal chamber lately. Most of it has been captured on video, but there are two days of activity that were lost. I'm not sure what this means but you might want to look into it."  
  
"Good, it'll give me someone to kill while you're away. Thanks for the tip." Angelus said as he walked back to his chair and began surfing through the company's records.  
  
"Hey, aren't you going to kiss me goodbye? I'm going to miss you." Anya said with a fun smile, but got no reaction from Angelus, "Oh come on, can't you at least pretend to be romantic and say you'll miss me? I know you will, you big lug. Fine, I know you can't express your feelings, so I'll just go."  
  
Angelus watched Anya as she walked away, her short and very tight skirt clinging to her body like glue, brought a smile to his face, "Hey."  
  
Anya turned her head to face Angelus, "Yes?"  
  
"You look damn fine in that skirt." Angelus said with the faintest hint of a smile, "When ya get back, we'll do something special."  
  
"Thanks." Anya said with a big smile and then walked slowly out of the room.  
  
End of Chapter Three.  
  
Feedback is welcome and appreciated and sure helps me keep on writing. It really does. A lot. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four.  
**  
**Outside Sunnydale High School.**  
  
Willow stopped at the bus stop, sat down on the bench and waited for her bus to show up. She got out one of the many books from her bag and began reading to pass the time.  
  
One of the few things that could distract her was the sound of a vehicle pulling up by the bus stop and as she looked up she saw Cordelia smiling back at her as she pushed open the passenger side, "Well, get in Rosenberg."  
  
Looking around to see if anyone else could possibly be named Rosenberg, but since nobody was rushing to the car, she knew Cordy was talking to her.  
  
Not sure what was going on, she put away her books and walked slowly towards Cordy's car.  
  
Leaning in to see Cordelia smiling still, she sat down in the passenger's seat, buckled up and smiled back at the pretty brunette and watched as she took off.  
  
"I was on my way to the mall when I saw you sitting there and I couldn't help but think, this girl needs a makeover. So, I'm going to take you to all the best places and we are going to get you a whole new wardrobe and a new hairstyle and I know there's a hot sexy girl just dying to break free."  
  
"Um, I don't know what to say. I'm kind of torn between being offended and excited."  
  
"Huh? You are a strange girl Willow Rosenberg." Cordelia said with a rare warm smile, "I don't think you're used to someone being nice to you, so you create some bizarre scenario to explain it. I know it's hard to grasp, but I find you interesting and wanted to get know you better. No secret motive. No big prank planned. Just me being me."  
  
"Okay, sorry then." Willow said softly, turning away from Cordy and looking out the window.  
  
"Are you always this shy?"  
  
"Not always, just when I don't know someone very well." Willow replied, her eyes back to staring at Cordelia, "I'm actually quite talkative around my friends. Xander says I never shut up, but in a good way."  
  
"Stranger still, I never understood what you saw in Harris. He seems like such a dork." Cordelia said with puzzled look.  
  
Willow smiled at how blunt Cordelia always was, "Oh, he kind of is, but he's a nice guy. He's a good friend and I think you'd like him if you give him a chance."  
  
"Maybe I will, if you like him I suppose he can't be that bad." Cordelia made a left turn and parked the car outside the fanciest boutique in Sunnydale. She got out, helped Willow out of the car and led the way inside a store Willow never dared even window shop in.  
  
"I should tell you that there's no way I can afford to buy a coffee in this place. But, I don't mind helping you shop." Willow said as she looked in awe at the isles and isles of the most famous designer clothes in the world.  
  
"Don't worry about the money, it's one good thing about having rich parent's." Cordelia said with a sweet grin, "Ah, here we go. I just think you would look so good in this. I saw the other day it just screamed Willow to me. Why don't you go try it on?"  
  
"Me? No, I just...no I can't. I might spill something on it or set it on fire or..."  
  
"Set it on fire? You kill me Willow, you have such a dry wit. Go ahead; if it goes up in smoke, the bill will be the least of your worries." Cordelia said with a smile as she led Willow to the change rooms and pushed her inside.  
  
"Um, I guess I'll try it on then." Willow said from the room.  
  
"Good, I'm going to check some out some other things. Just come on out when you're ready." Cordelia said and then was back checking out the next row of designer outfits.  
  
Willow slowly began to remove her sweater, then after a bit more time she removed her skirt. Finally, she put on the dress Cordy had picked out for her and when she looked in the mirror she quickly began covering herself up.  
  
After about 10 minutes Cordelia walked back to the change rooms, "Hey, are you okay in there?"  
  
"Um, I'm not sure what to do. I think this dress is missing some parts." Willow said as she looked in the mirror at all the skin she was seeing.  
  
Cordelia couldn't help but laugh, "You are so cute. Come on, let me see how you look."  
  
"Okay, but don't laugh." Willow said and then put her hand on the door knob, "Oh wait, Is there anyone else out there? I can't wear this in front of strangers."  
  
"It's just you and I, so come on out." Cordelia said and then waited as the dressing room door opened and Willow stepped out.  
  
Willow was wearing a Versace original, worn first by the beautiful Christy Turlington and she looked amazing  
  
"OMG, I'm in awe. Have you looked in the mirror?" Cordelia said as she put Willow in front of her and facing a large full length mirror, "Even I didn't think you would look this stunning. You need to keep this."  
  
"No way. I can't wear this." Willow said in a panicked state, "Look, it's not covering much of me at all. I feel all this air on my body and it's freaking my out. I feel almost naked in this."  
  
"A little modesty is good Willow, but you are overdoing it a bit." Cordelia said as she adjusted the side of her top, brushing every so gently against Willow's left breast, "Nothing is showing that shouldn't be showing. Your breasts are covered nicely and so is your cute little ass, so what is it you don't like?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't think I'm meant to be sexy I guess. I just don't know if I'm comfortable looking this way. I can't be like you and be beautiful and sexy and poised and confident. I'm going to take this off." Willow turned to walk away but felt Cordelia holding her around the waist.  
  
"Just one minute okay." Cordelia said as she turned Willow around, "I know we don't know each other like best friends, but I would hope you'd listen to my opinion when it comes to fashion. You're so much prettier than you let yourself be. Let's not forget how good you look in that dress. Every single curve accentuated; I can't take my eyes off you."  
  
"You're just saying that to be nice." Willow looked in the mirror again as it was one way to look at Cordelia without staring.  
  
"Oh god girl, you have lower self esteem that anyone I know." Cordelia took Willow's hand and led her back to the change room, walked inside with her and shut the door, "Okay, it's just you and me here. It's not school. There's no pressure. Nobody is watching. Now, what I'm about to do is probably going to make you scream and run away, but if I have to speed things up just to get you to see how pretty you really are, then so be it." Cordelia said with authority, then took Willow's face in her hand, leaned in and kissed her on the lips.  
  
Willow was more than stunned by the kiss, but not enough to stop kissing Cordelia back. In fact, the more they kissed, the more relaxed Willow became until she was becoming the aggressor and was soon exploring Cordelia's mouth with her tongue, her hands moving up and down her back as she pulled Cordy closer.  
  
When Cordelia broke the kiss off, she looked back Willow, who was smiling from ear to ear, "Well, since you didn't run away screaming can I assume you enjoyed that?"  
  
"Oh yes, I loved it. I still can't believe you kissed me." Willow said with a look that was both happy and confused, "Oh please do not tell me this was just a pity kiss."  
  
"What am I going to do with you?" Cordelia said with a sigh and then leaned in again and kissed Willow hard on the lips.  
  
This kiss went on even longer then the last. The passion grew and grew, as Cordelia was the one who slipped her hands under Willow's top and over her small yet perky breasts.  
  
Soft moans escaped Willow's lips as Cordy rubbed her nipples with her thumb and slid her right hand down Willow's stomach and then under her panties, rubbing her pussy, while never breaking the kiss.  
  
Willow was breathing heavy as Cordelia was rubbing her pussy faster and faster, her left arm now holding Willow up as she leaned back against the wall, legs apart as she closed her eyes and gave herself to Cordelia.  
  
Holding Willow tightly, Cordelia was rubbing Willow's clit harder and harder, she put her fingers up to her lips, licked and sucked them into her mouth, then quickly went back to rubbing Willow as fast as her fingers could move.  
  
Unable to control her emotions or her moans, Willow was moaning faster and louder as she squeezed the side railing as hard as she could, her body shaking wildly as Cordy continued her torrid pace.  
  
With the scent of sex filling the air, it was no surprise when a sales lady abruptly knocked on the door, "Hello? What is going on in there?"  
  
Cordelia pulled back and put her hand against the door, "Nothing miss, we're just trying on some clothes and had a bit trouble with one of our zippers were trying to get it unstuck. Sorry for the noise."  
  
"Okay then, but please, let's keep it down in the future." The attractive woman said and then walked swiftly back to the front desk.  
  
Willow and Cordy both started laughing and as their eyes met, Willow again turned away and began changing out of the dress.  
  
"I want to buy that for you." Cordelia said as she helped Willow out of the dress, "Seriously, if it's a problem with the money, then you can pay me back over time, but I want you to wear this Friday when we go out to dinner."  
  
"Okay." Willow said with a smile, "But, I will pay you back. I think. How much is it again?"  
  
"You don't want to know." Cordelia said, then picked up the dress and covered the price tag with her hand.  
  
"Thank you for this. I had fun. I mean, the dress and well, you know, the other stuff to." Willow said as she made eye contact with Cordy for the first time.  
  
"Oh, I had a lot of fun to. But, we aren't done yet. That was one dress silly, I've got tons more outfits for you to try on." Cordelia got up and opened the door, "You stay here, I'll just bring you back things to try on."  
  
Willow smiled and sat back as Cordelia brought her every type of outfit under the sun. By the time she was finished, Willow was so used to having her clothes off, she had become comfortable standing naked in the change room, just waiting for the next outfit.  
  
"Well, that was so much fun. I can't thank you enough for bringing me here. I owe you so much for this." Willow said as she hugged Cordelia.  
  
"It was so fun for me to. I love shopping and I loved it even more having you to share it with me." Cordelia added as she helped sort through the clothes she wanted Willow to keep.  
  
"That's too many. I said one was enough, but I can't take all 5 of these things." Willow said, trying to put her foot down on Cordy's generosity, "Two is the most and only because I love this skirt, even if it is way too short for me to wear to school."  
  
"Take the dress, the skirt and top and these jeans. They can be worn at school and I don't think you even own a pair do you?" Cordelia asked as she piled the three outfits onto her arm and walked out of the change room.  
  
Willow began to feel the guilt even more as she saw the final bill for the three outfits Cordy wanted her to have. "OMG. I can't let you spend that much."  
  
"It's a done deal." Cordy said, grabbing the bag from the saleslady and walking back out to her car.  
  
Cordelia drove Willow home, parked in front of her house, turned the ignition off and looked over at Willow, "I had a great time today. I hope you did to."  
  
"Oh yes, it was amazing. I've never tried on so many clothes in my life. I had a ball." Willow said, her face beaming with happiness.  
  
"Good, I'm glad you did." Cordelia said, letting her right hand slide over Willow's left hand, "I know things got really intense back there, but I want you to know I'm not usually like that. I love it, but I guess what I'm saying is, I don't mind taking things slow. If you want to actually do this that is."  
  
"Do what? This?" Willow said with a smile and then leaned over and kissed Cordelia softly on the lips.  
  
"Yep, that's what I mean." Cordelia smiled and the two began kissing again, only this time they were interrupted by something much bigger and uglier than the pretty saleslady.  
  
Two vamps stood in front of Cordy's car, not doing anything, just staring at the two girls.  
  
"This isn't good. What are those things?" Willow asked as she held on to Cordelia.  
  
"I don't know, but I've heard rumors of vampires in Sunnydale since I was a little girl, but this is the first time I've actually seen one." Cordelia said as she turned the ignition, drove past the two vamps and kept going until they were out of sight.  
  
Buffy and Faith were walking down the street just as Cordy raced around the corner and put on the breaks and quickly backed up and Cordy rolled down her window, "Hey, you better watch out, we just saw two vampires a couple blocks back. You probably shouldn't be walking the streets right now."  
  
The two girls walked over to the car and Buffy leaned inside, "Hi there, I'm Buffy and this is my friend Faith. Where exactly did you see the vamps?"  
  
"Just down the street from my house, straight back on the road." Willow said pointing to where she lived.  
  
"Thanks, maybe you two should find someplace safe to be for now." Faith said as she looked around for any sign of vamps.  
  
"You don't think you are going to fight these things do you?" Cordelia asked, as she kept an eye on her rear view mirror, "I've heard they are very strong and if they bite you and something about you drinking blood from them, you turn into one. Yuck."  
  
"That's okay, we'll be fine. It's a long story, but we know how to handle them." Buffy said, not wanting to give too much away.  
  
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Cordelia said and then turned to Willow, "You can stay at my place until we know it's safe."  
  
"Thanks, that's a good idea." Willow said as she squeezed Cordelia's hand tightly.  
  
Buffy and Faith stepped away from the car and watched it take off down the street.  
  
"Well, did you want to go hunt those vamps?" Faith asked, clearly anxious to do get some fighting in.  
  
"I guess so." Buffy added without much emotion either way. "We have a couple hours to kill, so why don't we try and find these two and then if we have some time I was going to try out this club I heard some kids talking about called The Bronze."  
  
"I'm for that. I love to dance." Faith said just as she took a punch across her left cheek.  
  
Buffy jumped across the fallen Faith and began fighting a rather skinny looking vamp, while Faith hopped back to her feet and did the same with a much stranger looking demon.  
  
It only took Buffy a couple minutes to turn the vamp to dust, but Faith was having one hell of a time trying to damage the roundish demon with a very hard shell that was doing little more than nudge her with it's nose.  
  
"What is this thing?" Faith asked as she pounded away at the creature.  
  
Buffy stopped to watch Faith fight, spending less time watching her moves than she was watching how she looked in that white t-shirt, "I'd say this is why we have those watcher's. I bet they'd know what it was."  
  
"You think?" Faith said sarcastically, "Thanks for helping though. I hope you're enjoying the show."  
  
"Oh, I am." Buffy said with a smile. "You don't need help do you? It's not like it's hitting you or anything."  
  
Faith turned back to Buffy rolling her eyes, "Very funny." After a few more futile attempts to damage the creature Faith stopped and walked back over to Buffy. "Maybe this isn't even a demon. It looks more like an over sized pet than some scary demon."  
  
"I agree with that, but what was it doing with the vamp?" Buffy asked as she took a couple steps towards the creature, "Seems almost cruel to kill something that isn't fighting back. Well, we could take it with us to the meeting and see if the two suits know anything about it."  
  
"Might as well." Faith said with a shrug, "How do we get it to follow us?"  
  
"Good question." Buffy moved away from the creature, hoping make some kind of move. "Hmm, maybe we try and pick it up and carry it? How heavy does it look to you?"  
  
"You must be kidding?"  
  
"Well no, but if you have a better idea let's hear it." Buffy said as she folded her arms waiting for Faith to speak.  
  
Faith walked in a circle around the creature, even getting down on her knees to look under it's shell, but found nothing useful, "Why don't we try and push it first? It looks heavy to me with that hard shell all around it. I'd rather not spend my time carrying a demon around."  
  
"Sure, let's see what happens." Buffy said and then walked behind the demon, with Faith beside her, the two girls began pushing the creature, and after some serious exertion on both their parts, it actually moved about an inch.  
  
"I have no idea. Let's forget this thing. It looks harmless." Faith said still catching her breath.  
  
Buffy sat down on the grass beside the creature, "I guess one of us could stay here and the other could bring the two watcher's here to have a look."  
  
"Okay, how do we decide who does what?" Faith asked while taking a seat beside Buffy.  
  
"I'll stay here and you can get the watcher's. If you want." Buffy said, not wanting to have it sound like an order.  
  
"That's fine. I just don't like leaving you here alone. We still don't know what this thing is capable of." Faith got to her feet and looked back down at Buffy, "I don't want you getting hurt."  
  
"I'll be fine." Buffy said as she stood up, "I'll stay far enough away from it. Just hurry and I'll see when you get back."  
  
"I won't be long." Faith said and took off in a flash.  
  
Buffy walked back over to the creature, gave it a pat on it's shell and smiled, "It's just you and me kiddo. I don't suppose you can talk? No? Do you watch TV? No? Okay, what about hobbies? I bet you sleep a lot. So tell me, how does a nice shelled creature like you get mixed up with a vamp anyway?"  
  
After she got no reaction from the creature, she let out a disappointed sigh, backed up and sat on a park bench about 20 feet away and waited for Faith.  
  
End of Chapter Four.  
  
Feedback is welcome and appreciated at 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five.**  
  
**Back at the Mayor's office.  
**  
Richard Wilkins was on the phone when Wesley and Fred entered his office. He waved them inside and hung up the phone moments later, "I'm glad you're both here. We've uncovered some disturbing information about Angelus."  
  
"Oh god, is he still on the loose?" Fred asked, her face turning a ghostly shade of white, "I thought the watcher's council had him locked up? They were doing some tests on him the last I heard."  
  
"It appears that they took the tests one step too far." Said the mayor as he motioned for Fred and Wesley to come look at his computer. "This is the last video of Angelus at the watcher's camp in Liverpool, England."  
  
**Video begins.**  
  
Giles walked into the room where a dozen men and women were scurrying about and walked up to the cage that Angelus was in, "I've been told you've been making steady progress and have shown signs that you'd be willing to accept a new soul. This is good news for all concerned. How do you feel?"  
  
Angelus looked over at Giles from his bed, "I feel different now. I have so much remorse for what I've done. The guilt is overwhelming. It's almost most too much to take."  
  
"Well yes, it is long struggle to come to terms with the carnage you've left throughout the land." Giles studied Angelus' every expression, every word, every emotion he'd had since he was brought to Liverpool some 15 years ago. "Tell me Angelus, and don't lie, do you still crave human blood?"  
  
"I can't lie, I do crave it, but I don't crave the killing. I have gotten used to the pig's blood and I feel no ill feelings towards any of you any longer. I deserve to be in a cage for what I've." Angelus got up and walked slowly towards Giles, "Only thing I haven't figured out is why you haven't staked me."  
  
"We all felt we could get more information out of you alive. Study you and find out what made you more dangerous, destructive and elusive to capture for all those years." Giles said as he turned, found a chair and sat down, "It seems that your genetic makeup is the tiniest bit different than other vampires. While most vampires lose all capacity for thought, reasoning and emotions, you retained some of this through a genetic anomaly, allowing you to think before you act. In many ways, it has made you a super killing machine."  
  
"That's fascinating." Angelus said, his face lighting up at this newfound information. "Is there any way you can cure me of this? I know I don't deserve a second chance, but if there was some way I could go out and do good in the world, I would appreciate the chance to make up for all I've done."  
  
"We've been talking about that, but first, we have one more test to run." Giles said as she got to his feet and walked slightly closer to the cage, still not willing to get within Angelus' reach. "Along with the soul, there's a new drug we've designed that should suppress your vampire urges as well as neutralizing the genes that went untouched when you first became a vampire. Then, as with all tests, it will take months, perhaps years to fully monitor the results."  
  
Angelus let out a smile just before he turned around, "I see. Well, I'm all for this new test. Anything that helps cure me is what I want."  
  
"That's good to hear. If we are able to do this, we could help save hundreds and thousands of vampires." Giles said as a woman walked up to him with a large needle and a vial of blood. "Thank you."  
  
Giles prepped the needle, handed it and the vial of blood to the head technician and backed up out of the room.  
  
"Angelus, please sit on your bed, put on your shackles and stay still as we proceed." Said the average sized man as he stood in front of the cage, fully covered in a specially designed body suit, able to withstand the piercing teeth of a vampire.  
  
Hooking himself up to the wall, Angelus then sat on his bed, turned his head and waited for the man to enter his cage. With a wave of his hand, the man motioned for another man in the security booth to open the heavy steel cage. Once inside the man walked slowly towards Angelus, stopping beside him as he put the vial of blood in Angelus' left hand.  
  
Angelus was quick to drink it up, still savoring the taste and texture of the warm liquid.  
  
As the man squirted the needle to make sure it was working, Angelus turned towards him, "Please, could you put it in arm this time, my neck is still sore from the last one."  
  
Nodding yes, the man moved closer to Angelus, pulled up his sleeve and moved the needled into position. Before he could push it into his arm, Angelus knocked the man to the ground with a quick lunge forward.  
  
Dropping the key from his mouth onto the bed, Angelus ripped his shackles off the wall, grabbed the man in the suit, took the vial and smashed it on the ground.  
  
Rushing towards the door, Angelus was outside his cage for the first time in over 15 years. He wasted no time killing, his mission was to escape not feed. Still, anyone who got in the way, was treated as an enemy and tossed across the room with no mercy at all.  
  
Giles rang the emergency alarm, but it didn't go off. He turned and ran through the corridor and down the hall to his secured room. Closing the door behind him, he could only watch on the monitor as Angelus meticulously made his way through the huge complex, stopping outside the main gate of the Liverpool headquarters', he turned to the camera and smiled, "Hello Giles, you are a very stupid man. You may be alive now, but you won't be for long. I'll hunt you down and when I catch you I won't kill you. No, I've got better things planned for you. How do you like torture? Cause I'm a big fan myself. I've never in my life wanted to hurt someone as much as I want and will hurt you. Take solace in the fact that you have some time to prepare yourself for a very long and painful death. Anyway, I'm off to kill some more and I'll see you soon."  
  
Shutting off the VCR, Richard sat back in his chair, "This happened over a year ago and we were never informed. Apparently Angelus has been living a very quiet, unassuming life since then. Not drawing attention to himself and yet from all our reports he has become even more powerful than before."  
  
"Is he behind the Horde?" Fred asked.  
  
"No, our sources tell us he's changed his ways in order to not only survive, but to flourish in the new and changing world. Something he never did before. Quite the clever lad isn't he? I'm impressed." the mayor said with a hint of  
  
Fred was anything but impressed with the mayor's attitude. "How can you say that? He's nothing more than a killer."  
  
"Ah, that is a bit naïve isn't it Fred?" The mayor said as he sat back down at his computer, "What we have here is an already unique vampire, who managed to survive for hundreds of years, when the vast majority of his kind were eliminated. That alone shows he's got above average intelligence. Add to the mix 15 years where he basically learned how humans work, think and exactly how they planned to 'fix' him. He's only going to be more cautious now, which does make him more dangerous."  
  
"I see your point." Fred acknowledged as she hopped up on the desk.  
  
"Yes, we have more than one threat on our hands now and two very inexperienced slayers about to be baptized by fire." Wesley added, leaning down and picking a small piece of paper off the floor.  
  
"What's that?" Richard asked, stepping up beside Wesley.  
  
"It's a piece of the dark magic journals. Someone was here."  
  
"That's not possible. My office has the highest security money can buy." The major added as he ran back to the back room, unlocked the door and then had to use a key to enter yet another door, before he got to the safe.  
  
Fred and Wesley were watching as the mayor opened the safe to find it empty, "No!!! This can't be happening. I want the security tapes of this whole building bought here at once. If there is a traitor in the midst there is going to be hell to pay."  
  
"I'll get right on it sir." Wesley said as he rushed out the door.  
  
"What does this mean?" Fred asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.  
  
"The books alone are useless to anyone without the knowledge to use them. Our last estimates had only 3 people with the skill to learn some of the most devastating spells the world has ever seen." The mayor slowly walked back to his desk, pulled up a secured file and pointed at the screen, "Here are they are. Two of these people work for us. Enchantress Eelissera, Mistress Helena, but unfortunately the last one does not. Anya is the name, but aside from being a very powerful vengeance demon, she has spent the last 100 odd years learning all she can about magic, specifically the dark magic's. She had intended to use them to enhance her vengeance skills, but found them so addictive she began focusing solely on dark magic, thus making her our top priority."  
  
"Well, if she's this powerful we must have someone tracking her." Fred said, scrolling down the site to read more about Anya.  
  
"She's not an easy woman to keep track of. She has the ability to orb from place to place seemingly at will." the mayor said, as he paced back and forth at an increased speed. "Our last visual sighting of her was in LA just last year, but she disappeared and hasn't been seen since."  
  
Wesley ran into the room with a large garbage bin full of video tapes. He looked over at Fred and smiled, "Well, I guess you have some tapes to watch."  
  
"Hey, how did this become my job? I'm a scientist and researcher. I don't do video." Fred said and then tried to sneak out of the office.  
  
"Miss Burkle. Stop right there." Richard walked back to his computer and sat down, "We'll take turns. Let's have two people watching the tapes so nothing is missed. The other will do a thorough investigation into this Anya's whereabouts."  
  
Fred was smiling as she turned around and walked back to the room, "Yes sir."  
  
Faith walked into the room as they were rearranging the TV and VCR, "Wow, what's playing tonight and please don't say Titanic."  
  
"Ah, Faith, glad you could make it." Richard said as he walked up and shook her hand, "Where's Buffy? She's supposed to be here to."  
  
"She's on duty right now." Faith said as she walked over to the corner table, grabbed a muffin and continued, "We found something that we need identified and she's watching it while I come get one of you to have a look at it."  
  
"Could you be a bit more specific?" Wesley asked as he got out his notebook.  
  
"It showed up with a vamp. We toasted the vamp and then saw this thing on the ground. It looks like a turtle without a head. A shell that is harder than a rock. It's incredibly heavy. Yet, it doesn't seem to be functioning. We figured if it was sent by the Horde and is just malfunctioning, you guys could find a way to use it to our advantage."  
  
"That's very wise Faith." The mayor said as he patted Faith on the back, "Let's see, take Fred with you. She's probably the most knowledgeable when it comes to the strange and unexplained."  
  
Fred walked up to Faith and turned to the two men, "Okay then, we'll have a look at this thing and be back for the meeting when we're done."  
  
**Outside the Summers' home.**  
  
Spike walked up the steps of Buffy's house, peeked in the front window and then went around to the back. Peering in through the kitchen window, he saw the two women he was looking for.  
  
Dawn was helping get dinner ready, setting the table and even doing most of the cooking as her mom was on the phone non-stop since she'd been home.  
  
Leaning up against the window, Spike waved across the yard, sending two vamps in motion, which set off a chain of events that would eventually activate a dozen of Spike's men around the Summers' home.  
  
Joyce got off the phone, put it in her purse and walked up to Dawn in the kitchen, "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean for you to get stuff with all the cooking. Have a seat, let me do the rest."  
  
"Okay, but I don't mind helping you know." Dawn said as she sat down in her usual chair to the right of her mom.  
  
"I'm glad you are here to help and I appreciate it so much, but where is your sister? She should be here when you get home." Joyce said as she put the food on the table and sat down at the end of the table, "We've talked about this, especially on your first day in a new school. How did that go?"  
  
"It was fine I guess." Dawn shrugged, "I don't know where Buffy is. She's usually here when I get home. Maybe they have different hours at this school or maybe she actually made some friends and went out."  
  
"She could still wait until I got home and make sure you are okay before she does anything." Joyce said with a very unhappy tone.  
  
"Mom, it's okay, I can take care myself." Dawn said, still trying to convince her mom of how grown up she is. "I'm not a kid anymore."  
  
"I know, but this isn't about you, it's about Buffy." Joyce said just as her cell phone went off.  
  
Getting up from her seat Joyce walked over and grabbed her cell phone, "Hello."  
  
"Joyce, you look pretty tonight. I love that sweater on you."  
  
"Who is this?" she asked calmly, not wanting to alarm Dawn.  
  
"You can call me Spike. I've come for you and your daughter." He said, watching Joyce walk over and put her arm around Dawn.  
  
"I don't know who you are, but you better get lost or I'm calling the police."  
  
"I'm not so sure you want to do that."  
  
"Oh and why's that?" Joyce asked, taking a quick look around the kitchen.  
  
Spike stepped up to the back door, knocked on it and watched as Joyce walked straight towards him.  
  
As she opened the door she spotted the cell phone in his hand and quickly closed it and put her phone up to her mouth, "I don't know why you are doing this, but you need to leave right now."  
  
"I'm not leaving and you are going to come with me. It's not a question of choice." Spike said as he stared in through the back window.  
  
Dawn got up and walked over to her mom. "What's that man doing at our back door?"  
  
"It's nothing to worry about Dawn." Joyce said with her best attempt at a smile, "Please go up to your room and lock the door and do not come out until I call you."  
  
"Mom, I'm not leaving you alone. Call the police and they'll take care of it." Dawn said, as she Spike a dirty look.  
  
"Don't argue about this. Not now. I will call the police, but I want you in your room and the door locked." Joyce said and then took Dawn by the hand and led her up to her room so there'd be no more debate about it.  
  
Dawn reluctantly went into her room and turned back to her mom, "I don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
"I know, but I'll be fine. I promise." Joyce gave Dawn a hug and then closed the door and waited for it to lock. "Good, I'll be back up to get you soon."  
  
When she walked back into the kitchen there was no sign of Spike, but she wasn't taking any chances so she got on the phone and called the police.  
  
Down the street from Buffy's house Spike was walking in the opposite direction with his posse following right behind.  
  
One of the vamps decided to say something about what had just took place, "Hey Spike, why are leaving? You didn't get the two girls."  
  
"Oh bloody hell, I explained this to you at the last briefing. Doesn't anyone pay attention? You're vampires, not morons." Spike chided, "To repeat myself, the point was not to get the women now. The point was to make the slayer aware of this. Once she knows her family is in danger she will be distracted. When that happens, she's going to make a mistake. Mark my words, I will have the slayer's family in my control, but on my terms. Is that clear? Any questions?"  
  
There was silence in the group for the first minute or so and then one vamp got the nerve up to talk, "I have a question. What about the other slayer? She's not related to the Summers girl. Won't she still be focused on her job?"  
  
Spike paused before answering as he tried to think of the best response, "From what we know, the slayer's act as one. If one is in trouble, the other will feel the pain and try to help. What's most important here is to mess with slayer's heads."  
  
"Okay, but wouldn't we still mess with their heads if we took the two girls now?" another vamp asked from the middle of the group.  
  
"Why, why, why do I pick such wankers?" Spike said as he turned and started walking away, then stopped to look at his posse, "Doesn't anyone grasp the concept of time? There is no rush. We have time on our sides. Or do you even realize you can live forever?"  
  
"Not if we get staked by an angry slayer we won't." said another voice from the crowd.  
  
"That's it. End of discussion." Spike snapped and took off down the street.  
  
As he got to the end and began to turn through the park, two figures stepped out from behind a large tree and walked towards him.  
  
"Spike, we meet again."  
  
"I don't have time for you Gunn. I have enough headaches already." Spike said as he walked between Gunn and Anya.  
  
"What's the rush?" Anya asked as she stepped in front of Spike.  
  
Spike walked right up to Anya, "I don't care who you are. I don't even care if you're a girl. If you don't get out of my way I'm going to tear your head off and punt your head through the tree's over there."  
  
"Don't we have some anger issues? Yes, you do." Anya said with a smile as she walked around Spike with her hands around his shoulders, "But that's fine, I'm not here to shrink you, I'm here because I think you would be a good addition to our team."  
  
"I know who you work for and I could care less. If I wanted to work for someone else, I'd be one of these flunkies here." Spike said pointing to his posse, "But, I like to be in charge. I know things will work out that way."  
  
"We all want to be in charge, but that doesn't always work out." Gunn stepped up to Spike and looked down at the much shorter vamp, "We have ways to help you that you've never dreamed about. Nothing has to change about you being in charge. You'd just be working for and with a much larger operation. The main goal of both of us is the same."  
  
"Oh bugger off, you have no idea what my goal is." Spike pushed Gunn out of the way and began walking away.  
  
Anya jumped in front of him again, "Listen, you aren't a very easy person to like, but we don't need to like you to work with you. You might want to at least look into what you are turning down."  
  
"How many different ways do I need to say no before you get a clue?" Spike said as he turned and decked Gunn with a right hand and did the same to Anya, and then stood over both of them, "That's a warning. Next time you die."  
  
Gunn got to his feet, his blood boiling with rage, but Anya stepped in front of him, "Let me handle this." She said and then walked towards Spike, "We tried and it didn't work out, but you need to learn some manners. Not everyone is afraid of you Spike. Believe it or not, you don't really register in the big picture. I feel it's important to give you a glimpse of what you can expect if you ever touch me again."  
  
"I'm shaking in my boots." Spike mocked, "I know you. You're nothing more than a vengeance demon. As I see it, you can't touch me unless some girly wishes it. Stop crying to me because you have issues with men."  
  
Gunn smiled and looked over at Spike, "You really should say you're sorry very quickly."  
  
"Like that's gonna happen." Spike said with a laugh.  
  
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Gunn said with a big smile.  
  
"Keep smiling there big guy. I just love a big neck to bite into." Spike said with a threatening tone.  
  
"Oh no, now it's my turn to be shaking in my boots. Bring it on." Gunn said, as he shifted to combat ready  
  
Spike took that as a challenge and was about to make a move when he saw Anya doing something in the background.  
  
Anya stepped back and began chanting, her eyes growing darker as she did. With her chanting becoming louder and more intense, everyone around knew something was about to give.  
  
Spike's posse had taken off through the woods and Gunn knew enough to step back out of the way, as Anya thrust her hands towards Spike.  
  
When nothing happened right away, Spike began laughing and started to walk away.  
  
After taking a couple steps, he stopped and fell to his knees and began shaking uncontrollably. He grabbed his stomach, then his chest and finally his head as he fell to the ground, "What have you done you bitch?"  
  
Anya hopped on over towards Spike and with Gunn by her side she just shook her head, "This is just a small taste of what you can expect if you ever try anything like that again. Luckily for you, I don't want you dead, yet. So this will wear off in a couple hours. Enjoy the experience, because next time you won't be so lucky." She then walked right up to Spike and patted him on the head, "Oh and don't ever call me a bitch. Bye now."  
  
Gunn tossed Spike another one of his business cards and then turned and walked away with Anya.  
  
Spike crawled to his knees and then made it to his feet, but could not understand why he felt so different. He took a few more steps and fell to the ground, this time tripping over his own feet.  
  
As he looked down to see what he tripped over, his face turned white, then red and he let out a scream the likes of which had never been heard before.  
  
A young boy came running from the playground when he heard the screams and when he spotted Spike he ran up to him, "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine. Get lost you little brat." Spike said, his voice unrecognizable, which made him scream again.,  
  
The little boy stared at Spike and then said, "If you weren't a girl I'd punch your lights out." Then he walked away shaking his head.  
  
Spike looked down at the dress he was wearing and moved his hands up his body, and over his now soft pretty skin and he leaned down, pulled up the dress and began running as fast as he could.  
  
End of Chapter Five.  
  
Feedback is welcome and appreciated at 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**  
  
**Sunnydale Mall**  
  
Xander was walking through the mall doing nothing but killing time when he spotted Darla and Harmony sitting at a diner having a drink. He checked his hair in the window, took a deep breath and walked casually up to them, "Hi there. Fancy meeting you here."  
  
Harmony looked up from her cappuccino, "What do you want Harris?"  
  
"I was just walking by and saw two pretty girls and thought I'd come say hi. So hi again." He said, wondering why he could never say what he had planned.  
  
"Hi Xander. I like that jacket on you." Darla said with a sexy whisper.  
  
"Oh this old thing?" Xander said grabbing his jacket and for some reason taking it off, "Here, you can have it." He said as he put it in Darla's lap.  
  
"Um, thanks, but don't you need it?" Darla asked as took a closer look at his jacket.  
  
"Me? Nah, I have hundreds just like it. I buy them in bulk." Xander said and as he looked at the two confused girls staring back at him, he tried to make things better, "So, what are you two doing here? Shopping I guess. I know girls like to shop."  
  
"Actually yes, we are doing a little shopping. Did you want to join us?" Harmony asked with the slightest hint of a laugh.  
  
"I don't know. Is that allowed?" Xander asked, honestly confused by the question.  
  
"Of course it is." Harmony assured, "Come on, we are going to look for bikini's."  
  
"Harmony, stop teasing Xander." Darla said as she nudged Harmony's arm.  
  
Xander let out a sigh of disappointment, "I knew it was too good to be true."  
  
"Oh it's true Xander, but I don't think it would be fair to make you wait for us as we tried on countless bikini's." Darla added as she looked back at Xander.  
  
"Well you know; I do have some free time on my hands. If I could be any help I'd sure love to try." Xander added, his fingers crossed as he hoped his dreams were about to come true or at least one of them.  
  
"Sure, why not." Darla said as she got up from the table and took Xander's hand, "This might just be more fun than I thought."  
  
Harmony got up and hurried up beside Darla, "I thought you were kidding? I don't want Xander drooling all over the floor through all this. Ewe."  
  
"I'm sure he won't do that." Darla said as she smiled at Xander.  
  
"I don't want to answer that on the grounds it might ruin this moment." Xander looked over at Harmony and tried to wish her gone, but alas, it didn't work.  
  
Darla put her arm around the sulking Harmony, "Be a sport Harmony, Xander will be the perfect person to tell us what's hot and what's not."  
  
"Fine, but I am not wearing a thong for him." Harmony snapped.  
  
"Good, I'd like to keep my eyes thanks." Xander shot back.  
  
"Hey, hey. Let's have a truce or we can call this off." Darla said as she looked at both Xander and Harmony.  
  
"That's fine with me." Harmony said with a big smile.  
  
"Maybe you should do this another time." Xander countered, "I'm thinking like never."  
  
"You're such a pig Harris." Harmony stuck her tongue out at Xander and then put her arms on Darla's shoulders, "Please, let's do this tomorrow."  
  
Darla pulled Harmony in for a big warm, lingering hug and then ran her hands through her long blonde hair, "I know you can do this, it's really not going to hurt. Ignore Xander if you have to. Don't forget we have that beach party at Cordy's next month."  
  
Xander was trying to take in everything he'd just seen and heard and was having a tough time finding words to speak.  
  
Harmony leaned in and put her head on Darla's shoulder, smiling back at Xander as she hugged Darla very tightly, "Okay, for you I'll do it."  
  
"That's great Harmony." Darla said and then gave her a quick kiss on the lips.  
  
Xander did a double take and almost lost his balance, wondering if he had just seen what he thought he'd seen.  
  
"Xander, are you okay?" Darla asked as she put her arm on his wrist to help steady him.  
  
"I honestly don't know." Xander said as he turned to see Darla slide her hand up his arm and onto his shoulder. "I think I need to sit down."  
  
"Well good, let's just head on over to the swimsuit section and you can sit and enjoy the show." Darla said as she took both Xander and Harmony by the hand and led them through the store until the arrived at the far corner of the store.  
  
Darla sat Xander down in a small chair and then began sifting through the racks of swimwear.  
  
After what seemed like forever, the girls took their piles of clothes back to the changing rooms and to Xander's surprise walked into the same booth, even though there were 4 other empty ones beside it.  
  
All's Xander could see were clothes falling to the ground along with some giggling before the door opened and Darla walked out.  
  
In his dreams, the girl was wearing exactly what Darla had on. An itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka dot bikini. It was a curious dream no doubt, but the fact Darla was wearing it as surely a sign of destiny to Xander.  
  
Darla walked out confident as always. She walked right up to Xander, spun around behind and then stood right in front of his feet, "Well, what do you think?"  
  
Xander didn't have to say anything, his eyes and smile said more than enough.  
  
When Darla turned to walk away, Xander couldn't hold back, "Wow."  
  
Darla looked over her shoulder, smiled and walked back into the changing room.  
  
Harmony came out moments later. She was wearing a very sexy light blue bikini, showing off her very impressive body much to the surprise of Xander.  
  
Trying hard not to enjoy Harmony, he had to turn away as she got close and teased him by leaning forward, putting her breasts right up to his face.  
  
"What's the matter Xander, cat got your tongue? Or does it have something else instead?" she laughed and walked slowly back to the changing room.  
  
While Xander waited for Darla to come back out, he was stunned to see Willow walking towards him and even more surprised to see Cordelia walking right along with her.  
  
"Hi Xander." Willow said as she looked around at where Xander was sitting, "What are you doing sitting outside the ladies changing room?"  
  
Xander stood up and tried to push both Willow and Cordelia as far away as he could, "It's a long story. I'll tell you all about later on. Now, you should go and shop and have fun and do girly things and have lots of fun. Okay? I'll call you later. There's a sale on something good upstairs. You should check it out."  
  
"What is wrong with you? You're acting crazy and you are making no sense at all?" Willow asked, still unsure what was going on.  
  
There would be no more waiting as Darla walked out wearing the tiniest white string bikini ever made.  
  
Xander stopped to stare at Darla and for a brief moment, he forgot all his troubles, "Wow again. Can I just say you need to buy that one now."  
  
"I'm glad you like it." Darla said and then walked up to Cordelia, "How are you? I didn't know you were going to be here. I called your place and you weren't home."  
  
"Oh yes, I was out with Willow. We actually just finished some shopping, but had a run in with one of those vampire things we saw in school today."  
  
"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Darla asked, giving Cordelia a big hug.  
  
Xander smiled and looked over at Willow, "She's very friendly."  
  
"I can see that." Willow said, not overly impressed with Darla's hands being so close to Cordelia's cute ass.  
  
"We're both fine. We got away and then the two new girls said they'd take care of it." Cordelia said as she pulled back from Darla.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that." Darla smiled and then turned to Xander, "You both know Xander right? You and Xander are good friends aren't you Willow?"  
  
Willow nodded and smiled towards Xander, "Yes, we've known each other since we were little."  
  
"Isn't that nice." Darla said and then was interrupted by Harmony.  
  
"You better close your eyes Xander, because this is one is going to burn them up." Harmony said as she stumbled out of the change room in a bright red bikini.  
  
With everyone staring at her, Harmony suddenly felt uncomfortable, "Well, what is this, a peep show?"  
  
"No Harmony, Willow and I just dropped by and saw this very bizarre situation and had to have a look." Cordelia explained as she took in Harmony's new look. "Oh, nice bikini by the way."  
  
"Oh thanks." Harmony said with a shy smile, always happy to hear compliment, "Are you two here for bikini's? Because it's already crowded in our change room."  
  
Cordelia shook her head no and rolled her eyes at the suggestion, "No, we are just on our way to get something to eat, but I wanted return this dress and well, here we are."  
  
"I see. So, you and Willow are going to dinner together, how interesting." Harmony said as she looked directly at Willow.  
  
"Why is it interesting Harmony?" Xander asked, "Weren't you having something to eat with Darla earlier?"  
  
"Yeah, but that's different." Harmony whined.  
  
Darla could see where all this was leading and jumped in front of Harmony, "Anyway, it was good to see you both. I think we're done here so I'll call you when I get home." She said as she touched Cordelia's arm.  
  
"Good, I'll talk to you later then." Cordelia gave Darla another hug and looked back at Harmony, but didn't say a word.  
  
Xander pulled Willow to the side, "What are you doing with Cordelia?"  
  
"Not now Xander, I'll call you later. Have fun with your little booty show." Willow said with a smile and then walked over to Cordelia disappeared through the store.  
  
"Well, I'm done here. No more free show for you Xander." Harmony said in a huff, walked back and slammed the door behind her.  
  
"Touchy isn't she?" Xander said with a laugh.  
  
"Oh, don't pay any attention to her. She'll be fine." Darla said, her attention now back on Xander, "So, I hope you had fun before your friend showed up."  
  
Xander could do nothing but smile, "I had a great time. I'm just sorry it ended so soon."  
  
"Oh, but sometimes it's good, the anticipation of what might've been gives you something to look forward to." Darla's soft sexy whisper was driving Xander crazy.  
  
"I'm sure you're right for some things, but I feel like I might've just missed the best part." Xander said, struggling to find the good.  
  
Harmony walked out and pulled Darla away from Xander, "Can we go now? We were going to do each other's nails tonight, remember?"  
  
"Yes, I remember and we're still gong to do that." Darla said and then turned back to Xander, "Well, as you see I have to go, but I had fun tonight. I'll see you in school tomorrow. Maybe we can have lunch together."  
  
"I'd like that." Xander said, then took a big gamble and began to lean forward to kiss Darla when Harmony jumped in the way.  
  
"Goodbye Xander." She said with a satisfied smile.  
  
Darla shrugged her shoulder and then walked back and changed out of her bikini.  
  
"That was really smooth Harmony. What are you, her guardian?" Xander asked, more than a little upset with Harmony.  
  
"Yes I am. I guard her from losers like you." Harmony said as rudely as she could muster. "Her lips are way too soft and pure to be touched by the likes of yours."  
  
"Hello? Her lips are too soft and pure? What does that mean?" Xander said, knowing full well what he thought it meant.  
  
"Nothing, just shut up Xander." Harmony said as she turned her back on Xander.  
  
Xander stood there with a confused look on his face until he realized what was going on, "OMG. You can't possibly be serious." He stopped, moved forward and put his arm around her. "Well, well, well, Harmony Kendall has a thing for Darla."  
  
Harmony remained silent, which was a darn impressive trick for her.  
  
"Okay, you don't have to say anything. It all makes sense now. I'm sorry to say that you're out of your league." He said with a mocking grin, "And if you're my only competition I feel like everything is about to start going my way."  
  
"Don't be so sure of yourself Xander. You have no idea the bond Darla and I share. So go ahead, put the moves on her, use that ounce of charm you think you have and dazzle her with your sweet talk. In fact, the more you talk, the better my chances get." Harmony let out a spontaneous laugh.  
  
"Laugh away, but there's more to me than meets the eye. I can be quite dashing, debonair and downright irresistible to women when I want to be." Xander said proudly.  
  
"OMG, that's hilarious. I guess you just never wanted to be all those things to women before? Yeah right Xander. It's good you have a sense of humor about it anyway." Harmony said, feeling good about herself once again.  
  
Darla walked out of the change room, picked two of the bikini's out that she was buying, went about putting the rest back on the racks and then stepped in between the two combatants. "I hope you two are getting along."  
  
"We sure are. I think we both see things much more clearly now." Xander said, putting his arm around Darla's waist.  
  
"Yes, we sorted out a few things and I think everything will turn out just the way it was meant to." Harmony added as she put her hand below Xander's, resting just above Darla's shapely ass.  
  
Xander looked down and quickly put his hand even lower, but Harmony did the same thing and soon they were both cupping her firm ass as she looked down at them with a very puzzled look, "Get your hands off my ass, both of you."  
  
They both pulled away immediately and looked sheepishly at Darla.  
  
"Okay, I don't know what's going on between you two, but keep me and my ass out of it." Darla said firmly, and then took a breath and smiled at Xander, "I have to go now, but I had fun and I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Harmony took Darla's hand and they walked out of the store.  
  
As they got to the exit Harmony turned to Xander and then put her hand back around Darla's waist, just inches above her ass, and smiled at Xander as they left the building.  
  
Xander could do nothing but shake his head and think to himself how any other time the sight of the two women together would've turned him on in an instant, yet this time it was making him jealous. As he looked around, he quickly made a hasty dash from of the women's wear section and headed home.  
  
**Sunnydale Park.**  
  
Buffy was sitting quietly on the park bench when Faith and Fred walked up to her. "Hey there. Any movement from the creature?" Faith asked as she stepped in front of Buffy.  
  
"Not a peep. I think it's broke." Buffy said, getting to her feet.  
  
Fred moved over to Buffy, "Hi Buffy, we talked on the phone earlier. I'm Fred and I am here to help identify your little friend here."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Buffy said as she stared up at the tall brunette, "Always nice to put a face to a voice."  
  
"I hope I didn't disappoint." Fred said with a cute grin.  
  
"Not at all. You're taller than what I expected, but I'm not the least disappointed." Buffy said as she smiled back at Fred.  
  
"Um hello." Faith said as she turned back to the creature, "I believe this thing is why we're here."  
  
"Right you are." Fred said as she turned her attention to the creature on the ground. "It looks like a variation of a tracking device we saw last year. This one is slightly bigger, has a different shell, but let's see if we can turn it on it's back."  
  
Buffy and Faith moved over to the device, grabbed it at opposite ends and slowly but surely turned it over.  
  
Once on it's shell, Fred walked over and began looking at the soft underbelly, "This is very strange. In many ways this does look like a live creature of some kind. I see nothing mechanical on this thing. We need to get this back to the lab. I'm going to call and have a unit come here and haul this away. Excuse me." Fred said as she took a couple steps and made her call.  
  
Buffy still had her eyes on Fred when Faith moved into her line of sight, "Could you be more obvious?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're staring right at her." Faith said shaking her head.  
  
"No, I wasn't staring. I was just waiting for her to make the call." Buffy explained, turning away from Faith.  
  
Faith stepped back in front of her, "I bet you were. Do you flirt with everyone?"  
  
"I was not flirting and even if I was, which I wasn't, so what. She's a pretty girl. I said hi. I hardly call that flirting." Buffy said, still avoiding eye contact with Faith.  
  
"Oh, well that's what it looked like to me. Not that I care, but we are working here so it's just not appropriate. Besides, she's way older than you." Faith added, as she looked over at Fred to see if she was still on the phone.  
  
"Older? Get out. She's like our age." Buffy said as she took this opportunity to have another long look at Fred.  
  
"Stop gawking. Geez." Faith said with an annoyed tone, then looked over at Fred, then turned to Buffy, "Besides, I doubt she'd be interested in a little girl like you."  
  
"What did you call me? A little girl? Okay that's it, you're going down." Buffy said as she lunged at Faith and the two girls fell to the ground, wrestling back and forth until Fred spotted them and rushed over.  
  
"Stop it. Stop it you two." Fred said as she pulled the two girls apart, "What just happened here? This is not the kind of behavior we need from the slayers."  
  
"Stay out of it twiggy." Faith snapped.  
  
"Faith." Buffy said as she looked back at Faith with a very disappointed look.  
  
As Faith looked at Fred, she felt the guilt start to hit home and she took a moment to compose herself, and then walked over to Fred, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."  
  
"Thank you Faith." Fred said politely, "We do need to focus here and if there's some problem I think we should deal with it now."  
  
Buffy looked at Faith and then back at Fred, "No, we were out of line and it won't happen again."  
  
"We are fine. Really." Faith agreed and then changed the topic, "What do you know about the Horde?"  
  
Fred was happy to take the conversation in another direction, "Well, they are a well organized group of vampires/demons who have set their attention on Sunnydale. Specifically the Hellmouth. They make no secret about what they want and have given us a 72 hour window, which is now down to about 67 hours, to evacuate Sunnydale or they promised to start killing people."  
  
"Do we know who's behind it?" Buffy asked as she took a seat on the bench.  
  
Faith was quick to join her, "Yes, it would be good to know a bit more about the boss guy. If we can take out the leader, that should take care of the threat.  
  
"You're right, the leader is the key." Fred nodded and chose to stand for now, "Our latest intelligence report strongly suggested that a vampire, who calls himself Spike, was responsible for creating the Horde."  
  
Buffy was listening closely, the tension between her and Faith already a distant memory as she focused on the now, "Who is this Spike character?"  
  
"He's a vampire, but he's not your run of the mill type. For whatever reasons, which we are still doing research on, he's been able to avoid many of the bad habits and pitfalls a regular vampire has. Spike has a long history of death and mayhem that has seen him kill two slayers, making him a legend amongst his own kind. But, along with his intelligence, cunning and ruthlessness come a few weaknesses as well."  
  
"I'd say we should be talking about those instead of singing the praises of some dumb ass killer." Faith said, still not quite rid of all her anger.  
  
"Actually Faith, when dealing with an enemy, it's best to know both the strengths and the weaknesses." Fred said, staring right into Faith's eyes, "By no means was I singing his praises. In fact, I find him to be even more despicable than the rest, because while the others seem to kill out of a primary instinct to obtain blood, Spike and a few like him, seem to have the ability to think, plan and act out their attacks, making them nothing more than serial killers. He's a calculated murderer, who kills more for sport, ego and rarely for blood. Eliminating Spike and others like him is our number one priority."  
  
Faith again was in the position of having to take back her words, "Okay, I'm sorry, I guess I jumped the gun. I'll be happy to take this guy out for ya, just point me in the general direction and he's gone."  
  
"I appreciate the initiative Faith and if we knew where he was, we'd be sending you both after him." Fred said just as a large semi-trailer pulled up.  
  
Fred walked down and gave them men their instructions and after some consulting with each other, used the forklift and put the creature into the trailer, locked it up and away they went.  
  
"I guess we should get back to the mayor's office. We have a number of things we need go over with you two. Are we ready?" Fred said as she walked past the two girls.  
  
They nodded and the three of them made their way back to the mayor's office.  
  
End of Chapter Six.  
  
Feedback is welcome and appreciated at 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Angelus' office at Wolfram & Hart.**  
  
Angelus put the finishing touches on a new proposal he'd created and buzzed his executive assistant, "Come in here. I need you to take something up to the senior partners."

A couple minutes later, the door opened and leggy brunette walked in, her hips swaying back and forth as she stopped in front of his desk, "You buzzed?"

"I did indeed." Angelus said with a smile, standing up and moving around to the front of his desk, "You look very nice today Miss Morgan; although, that skirt might be a little too long for company standards."

"Too long?" Lilah said as she looked down at her short skirt. "It barely covers my ass for god sakes. I find this skirt offensive to all women, especially those with my qualifications. I only wear it because you included that stupid paragraph in my contract somehow. So stop harassing me about my skirts. Now, if you want to kill me for saying this, then fine, I'm not afraid of you so dig in." she said, crooking her neck up towards Angelus.

"Such passion, such defiance, such lovely legs you have. I was just teasing about the skirt." Angelus said as he grabbed his proposal from the desk, "Here, take this to the senior partners and make sure they look at it."

"Okay, is there anything I should know about it, in case they ask questions?" Lilah said, pulling down at her skirt.

"No Lilah, you STILL can't look at my work. You know what happens if you do." Angelus said, reminding Lilah of the last time she snuck a peak.

"Fine, but one day you are going to see you had a great talent here and wasted it completely. Someone else is going to snatch me up and you'll be left with some bimbo as your assistant. Then again, you already have one, Anya."

Angelus grabbed Lilah by the throat and put his sharp teeth up against her neck, "You do know you turn me on when you get all bitchy, right? I could just eat you up right now. But, I just ate, so go do your job and if you have a problem with Anya, take it up with her, she's more than capable of dealing with you. Oh and one more thing, she doesn't work here and isn't bound by some idiotic code that says we can't kill our assistants, unless we go through proper channels. God, that is so 19th century."

"You sure didn't complain this much when you were sleeping with me." Lilah said as she turned and walked towards the door.

As she turned back to face the door, Angelus was standing in front of her, "I didn't know you missed me so much. That's touching. You served your purpose. You were my ticket to Wolfram & Hart and I will always remember the sacrifice I had to make to get here. Sleeping with you was worse than that time in upper Mongolia when I almost froze my, well, you know what off."

"Why you arrogant piece of shit, how dare you talk to me like that." Lilah said as she took a swing at Angelus.

Angelus grabbed her arm with his right hand, "Maybe I was wrong about you. Nah, I love your spirit, just not your mouth. Such a foul mouth for a lady. Do you talk to your mother with that mouth? Tisk, tisk. At least in bed I didn't have to listen to all your ramblings. Ah, those were the days."

"Maybe not, but since it only last two minutes, I wouldn't even call it sex really. At least not for me." Lilah said with a laugh, snuck under Angelus' arm and left the room.

Angelus walked back to his chair, sat down and put his feet up on the desk, "It did so last longer than two minutes. Besides, I was tired and damn it, I wanted to sleep."

**Outside Willow Rosenberg's House.**

Cordelia walked Willow to her front door and they sat down on the porch swing and relaxed for a few minutes after a very eventful day. 

"Well, this is a nice little chair. Have you always had it?" Cordelia asked as she admired the wood work.

"I think so. It's been here as long as I can remember." Willow said as she ran her hand over the back of the chair, "I like to sit out here and read on the hot summer nights."

"That sounds nice." Cordelia said as she slid over beside Willow, "So why don't you tell me something about yourself that I wouldn't expect?"

"Oh, I don't know if I have anything like that to tell. I'm a pretty boring girl you know." Willow said with a cutest little grin.

"I don't buy that. Everyone has a secret." Cordelia added and then looked away in mock sadness, "Oh gosh, maybe you're not ready to tell me yet and that's fine."

"Now I feel bad." Willow said softly, and then pulled Cordy back towards her, "Okay, but I don't think this is anything you wouldn't expect, if you thought about it a bit anyway. I have this hobby that isn't exactly mainstream. Oh great, now I feel silly even talking about it."

"I think you just need to relax. You seem tense all of a sudden." Cordelia slid over, turned Willow so she was facing away from her, put her hands on her shoulders and began massaging her slowly.

"Ooohhhh, that feels so good. Where'd you learn to do that?" Willow asked as she closed her eyes and enjoyed Cordy's magical fingers. 

Cordy smiled at the soft moans Willow would let out each time her hands touched her, "You'd be amazed at the things I know how to do. I'm not just a pretty face."

Willow felt the need to turn around to respond, "Oh I never thought that. I could tell you were special. I have a good eye for these things."

"That's so sweet of you to say." Cordelia said, her hands still lightly massaging the front of Willow's neck and shoulders.

"I mean it." Willow said honestly. "I bet you could tell me a whole lot of things about yourself that I would expect."

Cordelia rested her hands on Willow's shoulders and looked her right in the eye, "I would love to tell you more about me, but I wouldn't know where to start."

Willow put her hands on Cordy's shoulders, "Why don't you start with something simple. I'll try and relax you a bit."

Cordy turned around so Willow could work on the back of her neck, then tried to think of something to share with Willow, "Okay, let's see what I can tell ya. I once went to school with no underwear on a dare from Darla."

"Oh you didn't? When was this?" Willow asked, her ears perking up the mention of Cordelia's underwear.

"It was just last month. I know, you must think I'm crazy now." Cordelia said, suddenly wondering if she shared a bit too much too fast.

"No, I think it's kind of sexy." Willow said with a smile, "I could never do that. I'd be too scared. How did this happen? Do you and Darla do this kind of thing a lot? The dares and stuff?"

"Sometimes, if we're bored we fool around a bit end up doing things we shouldn't." Cordy said as she turned to Willow, "You know the whole fun with dares is that they are scary. Besides, you really never know what you're capable of doing until the moment of truth arrives."

Willow was still mildly rubbing Cordy's neck, but was much more interested in the conversation now, "So tell me, how did it feel to do that? What did you wear, pants, skirt, dress?"

"I had a really hard time deciding that." Cordy said emphatically, "I just thought the dress and skirt were way too risky, so I chickened out and wore the pants. But, Darla and Harmony picked them out for me and had me wearing this really old pair of jeans that were so tight I could barely get them on."

"I bet you looked great in them. You always do in jeans." Willow said as she tried to picture Cordy in jeans that tight.  
"Thank you, I can't believe you noticed." Cordy said, her eyes looking deep into Willow's pretty brown eyes.

"I notice a lot of things." Willow replied, her hand moving ever so slightly up the side of Cordy's face, "I notice how pretty your eyes are when you smile."

"You sure know how to sweet talk a girl." Cordy said with an awkward smile. "You know what I notice about you?"

"What's that?" Willow asked as she ran her hand through Cordy's long wavy hair.

"I notice how you always wear jeans on Friday, but never any other day. I notice how you like orange juice with your lunch. I notice how you look so cute in that pink top and cute little butterfly skirt. Most of all, I notice how pretty you look right this second."

"You never cease to surprise me Miss Chase." Willow said with a big smile and as her eyes met Cordy's they both had the exact same idea.

This kiss was soft and tender, slow and sweet as they snuggled closer and kissed until the porch light came on, sending both girls to opposite sides of the chair.

Willow's mom opened the front door and smiled, "I was wondering where you were. But, I see you've been out with a friend. I still think you should've called."

"I'm sorry mom. I lost track of time and you're right, I should've called." Willow said as she got to her feet.

"It's okay, I just worry about you." Her mom said with a caring smile, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Oh, of course. Mom, this is Cordelia Chase. She's in a couple of my classes at school."

"I'm pleased to meet you Cordelia. That's a pretty name." Willow's mom said as she shook Cordelia's hand.  
"Thank you Mrs. Rosenberg. It's nice to meet you." Cordelia said, flashing her million dollar smile.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone." Mrs. Rosenberg said as she opened the front door and turned back to the girls, "I just thought I heard a noise and thought I better see what it was."

Willow nodded and smiled and when the front door closed, she leaned up against it, "I am so sorry. I can't believe she came out here like that."

"Hey, it's fine. It's time for me to be getting home anyway." Cordelia said, enjoying how cute Willow looked when she was nervous or apologetic, "I had a great time today, being attacked vamps not included, but even they can't ruin this day for me."

"Oh I had so much fun today and I really owe it all to you. Thanks for asking me to come with you today. It couldn't have turned out any better." Willow said, her face positively glowing.

"I agree completely." Cordelia said with her big smile shining through, "I hope this doesn't get you in trouble, but I can't leave without one last kiss." Cordelia leaned in and kissed Willow in the lips.

Willow kissed her back hard and deep and almost fell forward as Cordelia pulled away, "I was taught to always keep them wanting more. Goodnight Willow." Cordelia said as she walked down the side walk, her neck turned so she could smile at Willow.

"Goodnight Cordelia. Sleep tight." Willow said and then blew Cordy a kiss as she slid into her car.

Cordy returned the kiss and after a longing stare, finally drove away.

Willow was on the top of the world as she walked inside and went straight up to her room to relive that kiss over and over again.

**The Mayor's Office.**

Buffy, Faith and Fred arrived back at the mayor's office to find Wesley and the mayor watching another security tape. 

"I'm glad you're all here." Wesley said as he stopped the tape. "We found two tapes that show two separate incidents of security being breached. Both took place in broad daylight with numerous security personnel on duty as well as most of the mayor's staff looking on."

"I don't understand. How did they get into the safe then?" Fred asked a she sat down on the mayor's desk and stretched out her long legs.

"Both incidents happened slightly different." The mayor said as he put in the first video tape. He then took a pointer from the counter and began the tape. "Okay, let it go Wes until we see the person get close to my office."

"Right sir." Wesley said, letting the tape continue at normal speed.  
Buffy and Faith were watching closely as a tall, handsome black man walked up to the mayor's office.

"Now watch this." The mayor said as Wesley slowed down the tape, "Okay, he takes out what looks like an advanced lock picking tool, but doesn't actually use it and yet the door still opens."  
"What do you think happened?" Buffy asked as she moved in for a closer look.

"We will have to send these to our lab for a more thorough examination, but our guess is there is someone else in the area that created some kind of spell to open it. The lock was not damaged and when you watch as the man is working on the safe, he isn't actually touching it. It's really hard to tell, but the fact is he is faking it. Something else opened the lock, but it had nothing to do with what this man did."

"We believe our lab will be able to detect if there is another presence in the office at the time of the theft. If so; we can work on determining who or what it was." Wesley added as he let the tape play again.

Fred slid down off the mayor's desk and moved directly in front of the TV screen, "Wait, rewind about 10 seconds Wes." She said as she pulled out a magnifying glass from the table, "Okay, play it super slow speed."

As the tape began moving, Fred put the magnifying glass up to the bottom left corner of the screen and at the precise moment she yelled, "Freeze it now."

Everyone in the room moved in for a closer look and Fred pointed to an almost invisible shadow, "Look at this closely. It's like someone is either coming out of or just getting into the invisible state. With the magnifying glass I'd bet anything it's a woman's figure as well. The more I look at this, the more I can make out from the shadow. I know the lab will be able to improve this picture, magnify it for us and perhaps even get a face to go with that body."

"Good job Fred." The mayor said with a relieved smile. "Let's put in the second tape, because there is no mistaking who walks into my office and breaks into my safe here.

Wesley removed one tape and replaced it with another, hitting play the tape started up just as the man with Billy Idol hair walked into the mayor's office.

"We know this to be Spike. He doesn't hide who he is, although he did refrain from killing anyone while he was in thief mode." The mayor said with a dry wit, "This only shows you that he is not your typical vampire. He does not kill anyone in sight, but in fact chooses his victims for a myriad of reasons."

Faith wasn't impressed with the build up Spike seemed to be getting everywhere, "I don't really care how different he is, if he is still toast with a stake in the heart, then he'll die like any other."

"Yes Faith, he will die like any other vampire, but he's also a formidable opponent in hand to hand combat, so let's not underestimate him." Wesley added, as he fast forwarded the tape.

"All's I hear from you people is how big and tough all the vamps are." Faith snapped, unable to hold in her annoyance any longer, "Well, I don't care how tough. We are slayers, aren't we supposed to be the ones who take these things out? If so, what does it matter who they are. I'd rather not build them up into some unkillable uber vamp. What good does that do?"

Buffy walked up to Faith, "I have to agree here. I don't mind a little information on some of the so-called special vamps you've talked about, but I do not want to hear a complete history of how brilliant they are. You guys can sit around and trade war stories on these vamps, I just want to kill them all until they are gone and I get on with my life."

"Those are both very good statements and it shows your dedication and determination perfectly." Wesley said as he walked over to the two slayers, "However, having said that, we must continue to provide you with the best possible information so you can do your jobs better and hopefully easier. I shall try not to give anything more than the bare necessities from now on. How's that?

"Much better." Faith said as she smiled at Buffy.

"Good then, glad we got that settled." Buffy added as she walked up to the TV screen, "I mean, this guy doesn't even look that tough."

Fred walked over to Buffy, "Well, maybe he won't be for you two. Still, I think it's best to be aware of the vamps who have lasted as long as he has. It's not just luck."

"I guess, but I don't feel anything when I look at him. No fear. No nothing." Buffy said as she looked back at Fred.

Faith shook her head at Buffy and walked over to the mayor, "Is that it for the meeting? Can we go now?"

"Let me think, have we told them everything?" the mayor asked as he looked at Fred and Wes.

"Oh, do you know about the deadline the Horde has imposed on the mayor to evacuate Sunnydale?" Wesley asked after a moment of thought.  
"Yes, Fred told us." Buffy said, turning towards Fred and smiling as she did.

"Well, I guess that's all for now. You should go home and get some rest and we'll get back at it tomorrow." The mayor walked back over to his desk, sat down and looked at his calendar, "How about we meet here again tomorrow night around 7 PM again?"

"Fine by me." Faith said as she took off outside.

"Yes, we'll be here. Thanks everyone. Bye Fred." Buffy said as she ran after Faith.  
It took Buffy a couple blocks to catch up to Faith and only did because she stopped to help a little girl find her teddy bear in the bushes.

After Faith had taken the little girl back to her mom, she was quick to come back and get in Buffy's face, "Oh, I wasn't sure I'd see you back at your house. I figured you'd still be trying to get into Fred's pants."

"Oh shut up." Buffy said loudly and with more than enough anger in her voice. "Is that all you think about? Just because I talk to someone doesn't mean I want to sleep with them."

"Don't even try and deny it. I saw how you looked at her. You were pathetic." Faith said and then began to mock Buffy, "Oh Fred, you are so tall and pretty. Oh Fred, you are so smart. Oh Fred, you are so sexy. Oh Fred, take me now."

Buffy started laughing at Faith's little show and couldn't stop long enough to say anything.

"I'm glad it's funny." Faith said, not sure what to make of Buffy's performance.

"Was I really that bad?" Buffy asked still laughing.

"Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little, but yeah, it was pretty obvious you like her." Faith's anger level dropped rapidly as she saw that Buffy wasn't mad.

"I didn't even notice I was doing it. Yes, she's pretty and smart and all those things, but I wasn't hitting on her. Geez, I thought I was just being friendly." Buffy explained calmly and then looked right at Faith, "One thing still puzzles me, why does this get you so upset?"

Faith wasn't ready for that question and chose to ignore it and start walking back to Buffy's house.

"Hey, I asked you a question." Buffy said as she grabbed Faith's arm and spun her around.

"Don't do that. I don't like being grabbed." Faith said and then kept on walking.

"Too bad, either you answer the question or I'll do a whole lot more than grab you."

"Am I supposed to be afraid?" Faith said as she walked up to Buffy and looked her in the eye, "Don't forget that I'm a slayer to, so don't act all superior or I'll kick your ass."

"You can try." Buffy said as they continued to stare each other down. "Why not just answer the question? Or maybe I'll answer it for ya. You were jealous that I was talking to someone else."

Faith turned and walked away, "That's ridiculous. Why would I be jealous? It's not like we're together. I just thought it was unprofessional of you, that's all, and pretty desperate the way you threw yourself at her feet. I thought you had a little pride. Guess not."

"You are infuriating." Buffy said as she spun Faith around again, "I will say this one more time and if you ever bring it up again we will have the biggest fight you've ever seen. I do like Fred, she seems really nice. She is smart, strong, pretty and all those things. What's not to like? I'm not going to date her, god."

"Okay, okay. I shouldn't have said anything. I don't know what got into me. I'm not usually like this." Faith said, trying hard to explain herself to Buffy and even more so to herself.

"I just don't want to go through this every time we see her. Okay?" Buffy asked as she put her hand on Faith's arm and gave her a little smile.

"Okay." Faith agreed and then gave Buffy a big hug.

Xander walked by at that moment and couldn't help but smile, "Hi, aren't you the new girls?"

"I guess we are. Who are you?" Buffy asked as she pulled her arms away from Faith.

"You can call me Xander." He said as he moved in for a closer look at the two new babes.

End of Chapter Seven.  
Feedback is welcome and appreciated at


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight.**

**Sunnydale Pier.**

Spike had to walk through the pier area to get back to his crypt, forcing him to walk through a pack of dock workers, drunks outside the local pub and more comments on his legs than he ever wanted to hear.

A particularly burly man wasn't willing to take no for an answer and followed Spike through the back alley, sending one verbal jab after another about how 'hot she was' and when the man put his large hands on Spike's shoulder, things got ugly.

Stopping in his tracks, Spike turned to face the large man. "I think it's time I taught you a lesson in manners you big hairy monosyllabic wanker."

"Oh, is the little girly going to teach me a lesson? I don't think so. I don't fight women. I was only giving you a compliment, no need to get bent out of shape."

"Well, you don't have to fight; you can just stand still and make it nice and easy for me" Spike said as he hauled off and threw a right hand into the left jaw of the large man.

Even before the man could react, Spike was screaming hysterically as his hand felt like it had crumbled to pieces.

The large man didn't even feel it, "What's your problem lady?"

"Stop calling me lady!" Spike yelled, then and was about to punch the man again but looked down at his hand and began to get emotional, "OMG, I've broke a nail."

The large man leaned over and handed Spike a tissue, "Oh, it's okay, it's only a nail. My wife has this amazing stuff that hardens her nails and it works like a charm. I can find out what it is for you, if you want."

Spike looked at his broken nail, then up at the large man and made a beeline towards the hillside.

"Hey, I'm sorry miss; I didn't mean to scare ya. Can I buy ya a beer to make up for it?" he shouted as Spike fled through the forest and never stopped running until he made it back to the safety of his crypt.

It wasn't long before he was back at his crypt, doing his best to avoid everyone as he fumed over his highly unpleasant predicament.

Sneaking into his room, he slammed the door shut, kicked the wooden chair that stood so helplessly in front of him, smashed the garbage can in half and then fell down onto his bed.

Screaming at the top of his lung's, Spike vowed to get revenge. He was far from giving up.

It wasn't more than two minutes before there was a knock on the door, "Who is it?" Spike said, but a woman's voice came out of his mouth.

"Hey, who's in there?" the man's voice asked loudly.

"It's me you imbecile." Spike said, and then cringed at the voice he was hearing.

"I don't know who you are, but you are not allowed in Spike's room. Open up." The man said as he pounded on the door.

Spike was looking through his room, trying to find something to wear, but soon realized he only ever wore one thing and it was gone. Not ready to walk out in a dress just yet, Spike unlocked the door to his room, hopped into his bed, pulled the covers over his head and called the guard in.

Opening the door slowly, the guard walked cautiously into the room to find someone lying in Spike's bed, "Get up."

"Watch who you're talking to dumb ass." Spike said, muffling his voice as best he could, "I might have a cold but I can still turn you to dust before you can say, "I'm stupid", so shut up and listen up."

The guard continued to look around the room as he scratched hid head, "I'm sorry Spike, but it sounded like a woman was in here."

"Do I pay you to talk?"

"Actually, you haven't paid us in over a month, but we believe in your master plan so it's okay."

"Right then, well there's been a change in plans. Tell the men who are watching the Summers' house, that I want both Summers women brought here immediately. If you fail, you might as well stake yourself right on the spot, because you can't fathom what I will to do you." Spike said loudly, his voice still not quite as intimidating as he might like.

"Yes sir, I'll send our best men for the job." The man said as he took one last look at Spike hiding under the covers before walking out the door.

As soon as Spike heard the guard leave the area, he sat up in bed, adjusted his bra, looked down at his newfound breasts, shouted out, "This can't be happening." and passed out at the sheer insanity of it all.

**Outside Buffy's house.**

Faith couldn't help notice Xander checking her and Buffy out, but was used to that by now, "So Xander, what are you up to?"

"I just came from a bikini show." He said with a big smile, "Yep, I had a couple lovely ladies trying on the latest bikini's for me. It was one hell of good time."

"Oh, how much did you pay them?" Faith asked with a straight face."

"What?" Xander said as he looked back at Faith, "Oh, you're pulling my leg. Actually, it was a surprise to me to, but it did happen and it was very real. I bet the store has surveillance tapes if you want to see. Just ask Darla and Harmony in school tomorrow."

"We'll see if that comes up if we talk to them." Buffy said, taking her turn watching Xander undress Faith with his eyes.

"So, what are you two doing at this time of night? You know this place has vampires right? It's not really safe for girls." Xander said as he put his arms around both girls. "I'll get you home safe.

"Is that right? Cause us girls can't manage on our own?" Faith said as she pulled out from Xander's arm.

"Oh no, you aren't one of those sensitive girls are ya? I was only trying to help." Xander said, not really liking the look he saw on Faith's face.

"It's no problem, but we really can take care of ourselves." Buffy said as she patted Xander on the back, "We took some self defense classes and you'd be amazed at how good we've become at dealing with unwanted advances."

"That's cool. What did you study, Karate, Kung fu, Jujitsu, Tae Kwan Do, Tai Chi? I know a lot about this stuff. I'm a big fan of martial arts movies." Xander said as he got into a martial arts stance.

"Wow, that is something. You do know your stuff." Buffy said with a reassuring smile.

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay and spar with you, I am thinking it's time for us to get to bed." Faith said as she put her arm around Buffy and smiled.

Xander began to smile as his mind began to wander, "Oh, I see, so you two are like..."

"Like what?" Faith said before he could finish.

"Um, like really close friends I guess? You aren't sisters are you?" Xander asked enthusiastically. "Cause I had a dream about twins once. It was really quite interesting. I was a pirate and they were..."

"No, we aren't sisters. Sorry to disappoint." Buffy said with a laugh.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Xander said, trying to console Buffy, "You do live together though, right?"

"Yes, we do." Faith smiled, "Share the same bedroom and bathroom, although showering is tough, but with the small water tank and all, we have to share the showers. It's so unfair."

"What? You shower together? No way, you're just teasing." Xander said, convincing himself it couldn't be true.

"I'll let you make up your own mind on that one." Buffy said as she tried to figure out how the conversation became about her showering habits. "Anyway, we do have to get going so it was nice meeting you Xander."

"Okay then, well I could walk you two lovely ladies home if you like?" Xander offered with a friendly smile.

"Oh why not." Faith sighed, taking Buffy's hand as she looked back at Xander, "If we meet any vamps, I sure hope you can protect us."

"Not a problem." Xander said firmly, "I've dealt with my fair share of the undead. It takes a little skill and some advanced moves, but I don't think you have anything to worry about with me around."

"What more could we ask." Buffy said as she led the way back to her house.

When they got to the top of her street, Buffy noticed a group of three people milling about and she stopped and tapped Faith on the arm.

Faith saw the group and they both new they were vamps and turned back and stopped at the street corner, "Well, this is the end of the line. We live just down the street and it looks pretty safe so you're free to go."

"I was going to walk you up to your door, but okay. You two have a good night and you have fun with that shower in the morning. See ya." Xander said with a chuckle and took off down the street.

"Goodbye Xander." Buffy said as he waved back at her.

"That was fun." Faith said with pure sarcasm, "Now he's going to tell everyone that we shower together."

"I don't think so. I bet he wants to keep that all to himself. We may have just made one of his fantasies come true." Buffy said with a laugh.

Faith wasn't quite as thrilled about it, "Oh, you like being in his fantasy? There sure is a lot I need to learn about you.

"Oh Faith, lighten up. He's harmless. I have a good feeling about him." Buffy said with a surprised yet confident look, "I don't know why, but I actually feel like I can trust him."

"You trust people way too easily. I hope you're right though. Still, he's going to be picturing us naked in the shower doing well...having sex. That doesn't bother you?"

"Not really." Buffy nodded, "It's not like he's seen us naked or having sex, so it's just his imagination and that's not quite the same as if he were watching us in the shower or having sex."

"Well, you sure have given this a lot of thought. One thing I do get from it all, is he thinks we are having sex." Faith said, not sure what to make of it.

"So, he's a guy, he probably thinks all girls are having sex together. Who cares what he thinks?" Buffy said and then noticed three vamps coming towards them, "Get ready, we have company."

Faith turned to see a pack of vamps walking away from Buffy's house. "Oh, I'm ready."

When the vamps got close, instead of attacking, then ran behind the slayers and stopped about 10 feet behind them.

"Okay, something isn't right here." Buffy said as she slowly turned her head back to her house, "OMG, we need to get home now. Something bad is happening. I can feel it. Run!" she screamed and they both ran back to her place as fast as they could.

Seeing the front door open was not a good sign.

Buffy rushed inside and called out for her mom and Dawn, but there was no answer. She noticed some chairs were on the floor along with some other things and it was clear there was a struggle of some kind.

"No, no, no, this can't be." Buffy said as she stood in the middle of the living room and fell to her knees.

Faith knelt down beside Buffy, put her arm around her and held her close, "We'll find them and bring them home. I promise."

There was silence for the next few minutes.

Buffy slowly began to move again, wiping the tears from her eyes, she became focused like never before. "We need to get moving. We know who took them. Now we need to go in there and bring them back."

"Good, I'm ready." Faith said, helping Buffy to her feet, "Should we let our watcher's know about this?"

Buffy wasn't sure how to answer Faith's question, but after a moment's pause she did, "Fine, give them a call, but make sure they know we're going in and we aren't waiting."

Faith nodded and looked around for the phone and called the mayor's office.  
Fred picked up the phone on the other end, "Hello?"

"Fred, we have an emergency situation on our hands. The Horde has taken Buffy's mother and sister and we are going after them now. We are not waiting for anything, I'm just telling you so you know."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Fred said as she motioned for Richard and Wesley to come listen, "I know you want to rush in and save the day, but it's not going to be that easy. We can help."

Faith looked over at Buffy's face and it killed her to see her so sad, which did not improve her mood on the phone, "We're in no mood to sit and wait while you formulate a plan of action. If you have any information we could use, now's the time to tell us."

"Alright Faith, then at least listen up. They mayor has something he wants to tell you." Fred said and then handed the phone to the mayor.

"Faith, I'm not going to waste time trying to talk you out of something, but you need to know a couple things about the Horde. One, they are a well-organized machine when they are together, but individually they are not much of a threat at all. Spike is not to be taken lightly, as we've told you, he's a very dangerous vampire and you must be careful if you run into him. No matter how angry or upset you are, if you want to succeed you must have clear minds and remain focused on the job at hand and not revenge. Get her family out and deal with Spike later."

"We will. I have to go now." Faith said as she saw Buffy getting restless.

"Did they have anything useful to say?" Buffy asked, not expecting much in return.

"Just the same old, same old." Faith said as she walked over to Buffy, "Stay alert, get your family out and beware of Spike. Save the revenge for later."

"Oh, if this Spike character is behind this I want to find out why he did this and then I'll kill him." Buffy said with a cold hard stare.

"Good, I'll be right by your side when you do it." Faith said with a smile, then spun around in a flash as someone entered the house.

It was still dark and as Faith grabbed the person around the neck she noticed who it was, "You? What the hell are you doing breaking into someone's house?"

"Slow down." Xander said with his arms in the air, "That's some grip you have there Faith, I guess those self defense classes paid off."

"Thanks, now what are you doing here?" Faith asked as she loosened her grip.

"Look, I saw some vamps on the corner just as I was about to turn down my street and I thought you might be in some trouble so I came to help out." He said, pleading his case quite well, "That's all this is, a guy trying to help out."

Faith let Xander go and relaxed her stance, "I think he's telling the truth." She said as she looked over at Buffy.

"I think you're right." Buffy said, walking up to Xander and looked up into his eyes, "I'm impressed. Thanks for wanting to help, but we will take things from here."

"Hang on, I can help." Xander said, his eyes noticing the mess the room was in, "Something is going on here. Did someone rob you?"

"It's complicated and we will deal with it. I can't be watching out for you when we do this." Buffy turned and walked out the front door.

"Do what? Whatever it is I can help. I may seem all awkward and goofy, but I'm really not as inept as you might think." Xander said, his face becoming serious for the first time, "A third person helping can't hurt. Can it?"

Faith moved behind Buffy, deciding to let her handle Xander.

"I don't think you know what you're signing up for." Buffy said, knowing full well nothing she could say would change that. "Those vamps you saw were only the tip of the iceberg. They took my mom and my sister. We are going to get them back. It's not going to be a fun place and it will be too distracting to have to worry about you the whole time."

"I know you're in a hurry, so just take me with you. I'm not your responsibility. You're not forcing me to go. You know what, if something happens to me and it won't, I'd rather go down helping you two than sit back and do nothing." Xander said and started walking towards Spike's crypt, "Oh, and I even know where you're going and how to get there. How about that huh?"

Buffy and Faith looked at each other and with no time to argue they followed Xander across the street, through the park and all the way through a maze of hills and streams until they came to a side entrance to Spike's crypt.

"Here we are. Hopefully I've proven I can be useful, so what's the plan?" Xander said, enjoying the surprised look both girls faces.

"Well, it's not my call, but I think you'd still be best to wait here and tell us if anyone shows up." Faith said, watching Xander's face turn from excited to disappointed, in a matter of seconds.

"That's bullshit." Xander said, fuming at Faith's comments. "You don't even know what I can do. What, do I have to take on one of you before you deem me worthy? If so, then let's do it."

Buffy walked over to Xander, gave him a good look and then took a step back, "Fine, let's see what you've got. Before we do this, I want you to promise if you go down in less than a minute, you don't argue and you stay here. Deal?"

"Deal." Xander said, shaking Buffy's hand as he began to bounce around in some bizarre boxing stance.

Buffy walked slowly around the bouncing Xander, ducking out of the way of a right jab she decided to get to work.

Side stepping a couple more jabs from Xander, Buffy planted her left foot and spun and drove her right foot into Xander's side.

"Ouch." Xander said, blatantly mocking Buffy to her face.

Confused at why her kick didn't do it's usual damage, she continued to move around in a circle as Xander matched her step for step. Like radar, their eyes locked on each other and as soon as one made a move, the other countered.

After some attempted hits and missed from Xander, Buffy lunged at Xander, grabbed his forearm, twisted in the air and put her right foot right up in his stomach. When he grimaced and grabbed his stomach, Buffy did a two handed smash to the back of his head, knocking him to the ground.

Standing over him, she looked at her watch and saw that it was well into the 3rd minute, so she leaned down to tell him, but she felt her feet being lifted from under her and she fell on top of Xander.

With Xander's deliriously happy face peering up between her legs, Buffy shook her head and got to her feet, "Was it worth getting decked for?"

"Do you have to ask?" he said, his smile growing as he continued, "All fun aside, I did last longer than a minute, so I'm coming with you."

"I should knock you back on your ass for that last move, but I don't have the time, so you're in for now." Buffy reluctantly said, then added one more thing, "But, if you screw up and die, I'm not going to be happy."

"Great, I'll be sure not to die." Xander said and then saluted Buffy and then Faith.

"Now they've we've got that sorted out, let's get down to business." Faith said and the three of them began working on a plan.

**Angelus' office at Wolfram & Hart.**

Anya walked into Angelus' office, fresh from her trip to Sunnydale and was all smiles until she saw who was sitting on Angelus' lap, "Get your skinny ass off his leg before I rip them off your body."

"Anya dear, you still have a way with words." Said the slender woman as she hopped off Angelus, walked over and gave Anya a big hug. "You look well. What did you do to your hair this time?"

"Shut up about my hair." Anya said, putting her hand up over her newly blonde locks, "I told you not to talk about my hair. You promised. I could turn you into a beetle if that'll help you remember?"

"No, no, no, not a beetle, that is playing dirty my sweet." Drusilla said, hopping up and down on the floor as if she were being attacked by beetles.

"I know who to play dirty with." Anya smiled as she walked past Drusilla and took her place on top of Angelus, "And I know who to place nice with." She said as she gave Angelus a kiss while Drusilla looked on.

"Well played as always Anya." Drusilla said, tipping her strange white hat in Anya's direction.

Angelus was not so impressed and picked Anya up and tossed her across his desk. "I don't know what's going on between you two and I really don't care, but I am in the middle of a meeting with Drusilla and until I say otherwise, get out and stay out."  
"But..."

"No but's about it." Angelus said with a menacing stare, "Now, since you're back you can go up to personnel and get me the file the two new slayers. Bring the video to, I do like my visuals."

"Fine, you can just wait to hear about Spike then." Anya snapped at Angelus and then slowly walked over to Drusilla, "I love this dress. Where'd you get it? Milan?"

"At the runway show in Madrid last summer. It is exquisite isn't it? If you wish, I could pick you up one in your color." Drusilla said as she watched Anya move closer.

Anya put her hand on the beautiful satin lace that lined the back of her dress, then with a tug of her hand she pulled them together, squeezing them against Drusilla's tiny neck, "Just so we understand each other, if you hop up on Angelus again, you won't be needing that dress much longer. Oh, and yes, I'd love a dress like this, I'm thinking blood red would look great on me. Bye now."

Drusilla released the lace and smiled as Anya walked out of the room, "I just got the biggest chill down my spine. I do declare, I think she likes me."

Angelus rolled his eyes and slammed his hand on the desk, "Oh god, enough with the girl talk. We have business to discuss. Now, my contacts have told me you have intimate knowledge of Spike. Is this true?"

"Oh yes, Spike is mine. All mine." Drusilla said, brimming with pride, "He's got a thing about women though. He has mommy issues, and a temper the likes of which I've never seen, not a good combination for Spikey and me, it just never worked out. What do you want with Spike?"

"I'm not telling you my plans. You are here to give me information for a price. Once you give it and get paid, you go away." Angelus said, annoyed that he had to repeat himself. "What does Spike want in Sunnydale? We all know the Hellmouth is there, but it's not something he can control, so I need to know why he is wasting his time there?"

Drusilla walked up to the front of Angelus' desk, slid her ass up onto it, stretched out her legs and smiled, "All's I know is Spike has always wanted to go to Sunnydale. It's all he talked about. He never told me why. It became an obsession and I honestly don't know why. I believe it has something to do with the slayers though."  
"Really, why do you say that?"

"One night when he thought I was sleeping he had a visitor at the hotel we were staying in. I believe it was in the mid 80's and we were at the Beverly Wilshire, you know, the one on Rodeo Drive. Oh, that is the most beautiful hotel I've ever been to. The pool, I loved that pool. I must've spent hours...

Angelus dove across his desk and put his hand around Drusilla's neck, "You'll be nothing but dust if you finish that sentence. Now, get back to what I'm paying you for. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

"Aren't we a little testy? I was just trying to set the mood." Drusilla said, sliding her head out from Angelus' grip, "As I was saying, I followed him down the hall and watched as he walked into some storage closet with an older man. I kept my distance, but I heard Spike talking about a secret that would blow the lid off the Watcher's Council. I could never make out who he was talking to, but it seemed he had inside information at a very high level."

"That's better." Angelus said as he sat back in his swivel chair, "I need to know more about this man Spike had a meeting with. Everything there is to find out I want on my desk within 48 hours. When you're done, I want you go to do Sunnydale and see if you can learn anything from Spike."

"I can't do all this in 48 hours. I'm not Superman or is it Wonder Woman, yeah I'd be her, but I'm not, I'm just a vampire like you." Drusilla said, making a move towards Angelus, but thinking better of it.

"Don't give me excuses, take what you need and go do the job. Unless you have something more to add, you can go away." Angelus said, quickly turning back to his computer.

Drusilla was more than a little annoyed the way Angelus had just dismissed her and boldly walked right up to him, "What has happened to you Angelus darling? You used to be so much fun."

"I don't have time for your babbling now. Have I told you how much I hate repeating myself? Have I?" Angelus said loudly, his stare becoming increasingly more threatening.

"Yes Angelus, I'll go then." Drusilla said softly as she turned and walked towards the door, "But, when I get back you have to promise to tell me what happened to the old Angelus? Does he still come out and play?"

"If you bring me back what I need I'll answer any questions you have? Fair enough?" Angelus said, remembering the benefits of happy employees.

"More than fair. Bye bye." Drusilla said with a smile and wave as she slinked out the door.

End of Chapter Eight.  
Feedback is welcome and appreciated and can be sent to 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**Back in Sunnydale.**

Willow was still smiling from her kiss with Cordelia as she brushed her teeth and slid under her covers. As she put her finger up to her lip, she remembered how soft Cordy's lips felt against hers, which made her smile even more. 

Her right hand moved down over her breasts, gently caressing first one and then other but quickly letting her hand slide down under her panties. Rubbing her pussy slowly, she imagined Cordy entering her room. Wearing nothing but a sheer nightie, she slid into bed next to Willow and kissed her hard and deep.

With the kiss growing in intensity, Cordelia pushed Willow's hand away and replaced it with her own.

Willow's moans filled the room as she felt Cordelia's tongue on her nipple, her right hand still rubbing her pussy faster and faster, sliding one finger up her pussy, she pushed it in as deep as she could.

Cordelia crawled down between Willow's legs, her tongue eagerly seeking out her clit, licking it, licking it and sucking it over and over again.

Moving her hands to her small breasts, Willow began rubbing and squeezing her nipples, as moved her hips back and forth and around and around, pushing them towards Cordy's awaiting tongue.

Every breath was deeper than the last, the moans from both girls filled the room and Cordelia was nowhere near stopping as she hungrily devoured Willow's clit, swirling her tongue over it from every possible angle, never once stopping as she sucked it into her mouth and flicked away at it with her tongue.

Grabbing her sheets tightly as she screamed out in pleasure, Willow was on the brink of orgasm when a searing pain shot through her head.

Jumping up in her bed, she grabbed her head and when the pain eased up she was transported to a place she'd never seen before. It was dark and eerie; the passageways, lined with dirt, mud and rock went on forever. There were lanterns hanging out from the side walls every 30 feet.

Not knowing where she was or what was happening, Willow followed the path until she came across a lever on the far west wall.

**Back at the crypt.**  
  
Buffy, Faith and Xander made their way through the maze of passages, keeping to the left as far as they could go. As they came to an unusual looking enclosure, they stopped to check it out.

"This is different from the others we've seen." Faith said as she moved her hands over the side walls looking for anything that might help them get through.

Xander took a closer look at the enclosure, then looked up and down either side of it, "It is slightly different, but I would think there'd be an entrance to the main area that wasn't blocked off."

While Faith and Xander went in opposite directions, Buffy stopped near the middle section of the wall, "I have a strong feeling this is where we should be." Buffy said, feeling the walls with her hands. Just then, she heard a noise and saw the walls open and she quickly rushed through to the other side.

On the other side of the wall, Buffy turned to see a young woman standing beside her, "Hi. Am I dreaming?" she asked as she moved her hand towards Willow.

"Um, I don't know if this is a dream. I'm new at this. Actually, I don't even know what this is." Willow said with a dazed, yet perky look.

"Who are you?" Buffy asked as she studied the cute redhead.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Willow Rosenberg." She said, holding out her hand Buffy.

"Hi Willow, I'm Buffy Summers." Buffy said as she shook Willow's hand, "I'm here with some friends of mine. I'm not sure where they are though."

"I wish I could help, but I'm still trying to figure this out myself." Willow said as she hovered in front of Buffy, "I was lying in bed having the most amazing...sleep, yes I was sleeping and all of a sudden I had this sharp pain in my head. I sat up in bed and that's where I think I still am. For real, yet somehow I'm here to. Maybe I'm dreaming. Are you sure you're real?"

"Yes, I'm very real." Buffy said with a smile; then pinched herself just to be sure.

"Okay then, I guess. Anyway, I followed this path and stopped here because...I don't know why I stopped." Willow said, still confused about what was going on, but as she turned to her right she saw the reason she stopped, "Oh right, I saw that lever and I just knew I should stop and pull it. I guess."

"What happened to you?" Faith said as she stepped up towards Buffy to make sure she was okay. "We were talking to you and then you just disappeared." 

"I know." Buffy smiled and then pointed to Willow. "Guys, I want you to meet Willow Rosenberg. She helped me get here."  
Faith walked over to Willow and noticed she wasn't exactly dressed for such a place, "Hi, are you sleepwalking or something?"

"No, nothing quite like that. I'm just...well, I think I'm home in bed, or I was when this all happened, which reminds me, I'd really like to get back if you don't need me anymore." Willow said with a smile just as a visual of Cordelia crept into her mind.

Xander walked over to Willow with a stunned look on his face, "Well I'll be. Fancy meeting you here. It's nice to see you Willow. I like that look for ya. It works." Xander added as he looked over her tiny t-shirt and panties.

Willow looked down at how she was dressed and tried to cover up, "OMG, I feel so naked. Xander, you can stop staring any time. I gotta go. I'll talk to you all in school or something. Bye." Willow said as she disappeared from the passageway.

"You know Willow?" Buffy said as she turned to Xander.

"Sure, I've known her as long as I can remember." Xander said as he recalled that image of Willow yet again. "But, I know one thing; I've never seen her looking so sexy before."

"Oh god, enough about what she was wearing, let's keep her hot little bod out this." Buffy said, then noticed Xander and Faith both looking at her. "What?"

"Hot little bod? What's that all about? "Faith asked with an accusing look covering her pretty face.

"I didn't say that, did I? I just meant her sexy clothes weren't the issue. It's not a big deal. I barely noticed her panties were the exact same as mine."

"Oh this is getting good." Xander said as her crossed his arms and enjoyed the fireworks.

"You noticed her panties to? You really are quite the slut aren't you? You're no different than Xander." Faith said, staring right at Buffy the whole time.

"Hey, that was a compliment Buffy, so it's okay." Xander added as the two girls shook their heads at him. "Sorry, continue on."

"Faith, I was not checking her out. I just happen to have a very good memory and I notice things. It's just a gift I have." Buffy said, doing her best to look serious the whole time. "Why am I explaining this to you anyway?"

"You don't have to explain a thing, I have eyes. It's fine. It's nice to know these things before...whatever, you two can trade tips on how to best ogle Willow then. I'll go take care of Spike." Faith turned and starting walking away.

"Get back here." Buffy said, running after Faith. She grabbed Faith's arm, released and lowered her voice as she continued, "Can we please not do this here? Come on, if you remember, my mom and sister are missing. Some lunatic vampire has them. So you might want to put away your jealousy for just a few minutes, K?"

Faith let out a deep breath and looked embarrassed as she made eye contact with Buffy, "I'm sorry. I have no idea why I said that. I feel so dumb right now. All's I want to do is help you get your family back. Honestly. Nothing else matters right now."

"Good, because I need you to help. I want you to help. Let's get a move on then." Buffy said as she waved Xander over.

"I hope you two have kissed and made up." Xander said with a sly grin.

"You 'd love to see that wouldn't you?" Faith said as she looked up at Xander.

"Well duh."

"At least you're honest." Buffy smiled, then turned, and lead the way down through more long dark passageways.

**Spike's Room**

Spike woke up at the sound of more knocking at his door, he took a quick look down and let out a sigh of relief to see his leather jacket resting on his body and his breasts were no longer a distraction.

Getting out of bed with even more determination than usual, he opened his door to see the two Summers women standing in front of him.

"Come on in. I've been waiting for you." Spike stepped out of the way as his guards brought the two women inside and sat them down on love seat in the corner. "I can take it from here." He said to the two guards, who nodded and left the room.

Dawn was shaking as she held her mom tightly. "Why are we here? Who is that?"

"Shh sweety, everything is going to be okay." Joyce said as she held Dawn close to her.

Spike let out a huge laugh as he pulled up a chair and sat in front of the two women, "I always love hearing that. It's such a cliché. I hate cliché's. Through the years, I've probably heard people tell their friends and family that exact same thing, but it never ends up being true. Mostly because I kill whoever says is instantly. That shows how much I hate cliché's."

"Shut up. What do you want?" Joyce said, showing no sign of fear in her voice or her eyes.

"That's another thing I hate, people asking me questions as if they're in charge." Spike said as he got to his feet and took a couple steps towards Joyce, "It's curious, I don't smell fear on you. That makes me very uneasy. Why aren't you afraid Mrs. Summers?"

"I don't have to tell you anything." Joyce shot back defiantly, 'If you just let my daughter go I'll tell you anything you want. Please, just let her go. She's just a child."

"Again, you're telling me what to do? Maybe I should just talk to Dawn alone. Is that what you want?" Spike asked as he ran his hand through Dawn's long dark hair.

Joyce got to her feet and pushed Spike to the ground, "Don't you ever touch her again or I'll kill you."

Getting to his feet Spike had a smile on his face, "Well, well, well, what have we here? I'll be damned; the rumors were true all along."

Joyce sat back, positioning herself between Dawn and Spike, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh I think you do." Spike said as he sat back down in his chair, "How did you pull it off? Doesn't matter, I applaud your success at sticking it to the Watcher's Council. I'm not a big fan either. They've pretty much made my life a living hell. Not figuratively of course, but you get the picture."

"I don't know of any council. You must have me confused with someone else. So, if you just let us go you can get back to finding the right person."

"You really think I'm that stupid?" Spike said as he again got to his feet, "It's just you and me here. If you need me to put Dawn in a safe place while we talk, that can be arranged."

Joyce turned and put her arms around Dawn, "No, I want her with me."

Spike leaned in close to Joyce, "I suggest you start answering my questions before I run out of patience. At which point I will find other ways to get the information I need."

"Mom, what does he want? Why is he asking you these things?" Dawn asked, still hiding from Spike.

"Oh, you're in for a real surprise once mommy tells you about her past." Spike replied, then looked at Joyce, "Are you going to tell her or shall I?"

"I don't know what you want, but this has nothing to do with Dawn. If you want something from me, just tell me. Leave her out of this. Let her go. Please." Joyce said, pleading to get Dawn somewhere safe.

"We've already been over this. Do you need some names to get you talking? Fine, how about this one, Rupert Giles. Ring any bells luv?" Spike asked, as he watched Joyce's face turn white.

"OMG, who are you?" Joyce said as she got to her feet, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Ah, it's nice you didn't insult my intelligence with a feeble denial." Spike said, walking in a circle around Joyce, "Should I go on? Did you need a date to help refresh your memory? I have many that would bring back some very vivid memories for you."

Joyce didn't say a word, she just stood there in a state of shock, unable or unwilling to speak.

"Oh come on now, do not pass out on me. I'm just getting to the good stuff." Spike said, not pleased with how things were going. "Why don't I just sit down with your pretty young daughter and have a nice long chat with her?"

Spike snapped his fingers in front of Joyce a couple time, but there was still no reaction. He started to walk back over to Dawn when there was a knock on the door, "You are a very lucky young girl Dawn. Saved by the knock. You better tell your mommy to start talking or things are going to get very messy in here when I get back." He smiled and walked over to the door and left the room.

**Principal Snyder's office.**

Sitting in his favorite leather chair, the principal sorted through a half dozen boxes on his desk. Then in a fit of anger took a violent swing of his hand and knocked them all to the floor.

Staring over at the pretty dark haired woman in front of him, he took out lock box, opened it and pulled out a wad of cash and sat it on the desk, "This is $500, you'll get another $500 if you get me the pictures I'm looking for. Not one of those thousand pictures I just looked through was the least bit useful."

"Don't blame me, you weren't exactly specific about what you wanted." The woman said as she took the money and slipped it into her purse. "You gave me a list of names, said take pictures of them and then told me to bring them to you. I did that. If you want more then tell me or I'm gone."

"I thought you had enough creativity to figure it out. I wasn't looking for head shots for a modeling campaign." He fumed as he pulled out yet another box from his desk. "Okay, since I have to spell it out for you this is what I need the pictures for...but, before I get into that, I need your pledge of silence. Do you photographer types have any ethics? I guess not considering what you do for a living. Which is good, but I need to have a confidentiality clause put into out agreement. Are you okay with that Miss Calender?"

"Whatever you want." She said impatiently as she continuously looked at her watch.  
"Am I keeping you from something?"

"It's fine, but I do have another meeting in an hour and I can't be late for it. It's a possible big job offer. So, if you could get to the point." Miss Calender said bluntly.

"First off, I need pictures of those people in compromising situations. I need to know who they see and when. I need to keep up on my competitors so I can stay ahead of them. Is that really so hard to grasp miss?" the principal asked, putting his head on his desk out of frustration.

"You're the principal, you have no competitors." Miss Calender said with a slight laugh, "What are you leaving out?"

His head lifted up at the question, "Ah, finally, she gets curious. Well, I've been working on a business on the side. It's something I fell into, so to speak, but it's become very profitable and as it's grown, I've been unable to do all the work on my own. I hired a private investigator last month and I'm looking for a creative person to be one part photographer and another part special assistant, which is a fancy term for doing whatever I need you to do."

"What do you do?"  
"I locate missing persons for distraught parents, friends, and family of those who go missing. Let me tell you this, the missing person's rate in Sunnydale is at an all-time high."

"I see, well I can't commit to working full time, but I will finish this assignment and we can talk about this later." Miss Calender said as she got up from her chair and shook the principal's hand, "I will be in touch."

"I look forward to it." He said with his best attempt at a sexy smile, "I don't usually do this, but are you free for dinner tonight?"

"Um, I'm sorry, I have plans. Bye for now." She said as she quickly ran out the door.

She ran outside the school, stopped by her car and took out her cell phone, "Are you there? Pick up if you are."

"I told you not to call me here. What do you want?" replied a man's voice.

"I wanted to warn you there are people looking into all the missing people in Sunnydale. I don't just mean the cops." Miss Calender said as she kept her eyes open as a car pulled up a couple spaces to her left. "I mean there is a PI on the case and there's only so long I can fake these pictures before Snyder gets suspicious. What do you want me to do?"

"If need be, I'll take Snyder and this PI out of the picture. Stop bothering me with such infantile details. I don't pay you to worry Jenny, now I have a big meeting in progress, so if you're done wasting my time, I will get back to it."

"Riley. Riley? Damn it." Jenny said as she turned off her cell and stuffed it back in her purse.

As she walked around to the driver's side of the car, she heard someone call out her name.  
"Jenny, is that you?"  
When she turned around to see who it was, she was shocked, but more than happy to see her old college roommate walking towards her.

They hugged at the side of her car and as they broke it off Jenny stopped to look her blonde friend over, "Wow, you look great. I can tell by that gun at your side that you're still in the law enforcement game. How's that treating you Kate?"

"I can't complain. Well, I could, but I don't to want bore you with my whining." She said with a laugh, "Anyway, I had a tough time at the academy taking orders and dealing with all sorts of crap, so I decided to try a different line of work. Which is why I'm here. I've just started working for the principal of this school."

"What a small world." Jenny said, not sure how to react to the news. "I just accepted a job from him. I'm taking some photographs for him. It's a long story. I guess that means we might be working together one day."

"I'd like that a lot." Kate said with a big smile and then paused for a moment before continuing, "I didn't mean to, but when you yelled the name Riley a couple times, I couldn't help overhear. I mention this because I know a Riley and was wondering if it's the same one you were talking to."

Jenny fidgeted with her purse as she thought of the best way to answer the question, "Oh, I don't think you know this Riley. She's a friend of mine who's an editor for a new fashion magazine in LA. She wanted to offer me a job, but just as she started to make her pitch, the cell phone went dead. Her name is Claire Riley. Do you know her?"

"Oh, no, I don't know her. Well, I was just checking." Kate said as she felt the deadening silence of an unusual awkward pause, "Well then, I guess I better get to work. It was nice seeing again Jenny. Maybe we could go for coffee one day."

"Yes, I'm sure we can find a way to make that work." Jenny said and then looked down at her watch, "Well I have to get a move on to. I'm glad we bumped into each other. Bye for now."

Jenny watched Kate walk into the school and a flood of memories came storming back as she remembered how things used to be.

End of Chapter Nine.

Feedback is welcome and appreciated at


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten.**

**Back in the Crypt. Spike's room. **

Dawn ran up to her mom, "Are you okay?"

Joyce turned to Dawn and gave her a big hug, "I'm fine sweetheart. I need you to sit down because I don't know how much time we have."

"How much time for what?"

"I have to tell you some things and I know you are going to have so many questions, but I need you to just listen for now. Okay?" Joyce asked as she looked back at the door.

"Okay, I guess. I don't know what's going on." Dawn said as she waited patiently for her mom to explain things.

"I wanted to tell you and Buffy both at the same time, but that's not going to be possible right now. I will explain everything in more detail when we get out of here. For now though, I have to tell you something I've kept a secret for over 17 years." Joyce looked over at Dawn's innocent face and had to get up and walk away or she'd break down in tears.

"Mom, are you crying? Just tell me what's wrong. Please." Dawn said with a pleading voice.

Joyce took a moment to compose herself and she turned around to face Dawn, "There is no easy way to say this in such a short time, but I promise there is an explanation for everything. God, this is hard. I'm so sorry Dawn." Joyce said, needing another moment to get herself together, "I'm just going to say it, your father isn't your birth father."

Dawn sat there silent for a long time, not really sure what this all meant, "How can that be? Aren't you married? What about dad?"

"Your dad loves you so much. He does. He always has. So many things happened before your dad and I got married. It's a long and complicated story, but we did love each other. We got married so we could raise a family. Starting with Buffy, but there were so many things that got in the way and pressures I don't have time to explain, but what I need for you to do when you get out of here, and you will, you have to get Buffy to call a Rupert Giles in England. Here's his number. Put it somewhere safe. He can explain it all if something happens to me."

"Mom, you're scaring me." Dawn said as she got up and walked over to her mom, "Who is this Giles person?"

"Oh sweetie, I wish I could tell you all of it now, but I have to go. I'm sorry for everything, but I love you. Don't ever forget that. No matter what happens, I need you to hear this and know I never meant for any of this to happen. I love you. Stay here until it's safe. I have a strong sense that we're not alone in here. You will be safer if you don't leave this room. I love you Dawn. Tell Buffy I love her to. I have to go. I'm sorry." Joyce sat Dawn back down in the chair, walked over to the door, opened it and took off running.

Spike tried to grab her arm, but she shook him off and ran down the long dark tunnel. He motioned for his guards to chase her, then opened his door to make sure Dawn was still inside, "Your mom just made a very big mistake. Leaving you with a big bad vampire is just not good parenting. I need you to stay here until I find your mommy and bring here back. I will have two big bad vamps outside watching you, so you are much safer inside. Is that clear?" 

Dawn didn't say a word, she just curled up in a little ball, turned away from Spike and stared at the floor.

"I'll take that as a yes." Spike said as he closed the door and took off down the tunnel.

Buffy, Faith and Xander were going in circles, hitting one dead end after the other, so they stopped and took a break.

"This is getting us nowhere." Xander said kicking the ground in frustration.

"I know." Faith added, We need to try something different. We are just repeating the same path. Somehow we are missing the right turn off because of it."

Walking towards one of the dead ends to the right of her, Buffy spotted the tiniest little metal object right up in the corner and ran to have a look. It was too high up for her to reach, "Xander, your height is needed."

"I knew that would come in handy one day." He said and then marched over towards Buffy.

"What can you make of that?" Buffy said pointing to the object."

Xander reached up to have a look, made some strange humming sounds and then pushed at the object with his hand. A loud shifting noise behind them got their attention, so they all ran back and saw that a wall had opened up right where they had been standing.

With three big sigh's, they followed the path through some water and then up and under a bridge, before ending up on land again.

This time there was only one-way to go and that was up and to the left, so that's where they headed. As they approached an open area, they spotted a couple vamps guarding a large metal gate and stopped again to discuss strategy.

"It looks like we're finally here." Faith said as the adrenaline began kicking in.

Buffy smiled at the thought they were getting closer to finding her family, "I think so. We don't have a lot of options here either or the time to think of better ones, so the way I see it we just go through this place section by section until we find them. Whoever is in the way is dust."

"Sounds like a plan." Xander said, jumping up and down and shadowboxing to get ready.

Both girls looked at him as though he were insane, "Um, you can stop hopping there Ali, because you're staying in the back. We can't afford to have you killed. This is not a debate. You will be the one who takes my mom and sister back through this mess to safety. Okay?"  
After some minor grumbling, Xander nodded his agreement.

"Good." Buffy said as she moved over to Faith, "Are we ready? Let's go then."

With those three words, the two slayers made their way along the side of the path, hopped on a couple large crates and then in unison jumped on the two guards. There wasn't much of a fight as the two guards were dust in a matter of seconds.

Opening the gate, they walked into a small compound with one room to the left and two more to the right. Straight ahead was a larger room that seemed to go on forever.

"Let's check these side rooms out and then move on to the big one." Buffy said, not waiting for a response as she moved towards the room on the left.

Carefully, she opened the door, but found nothing but some supplies scattered about on the floor.

Both Faith and Xander found similar sights in the rooms they checked out.  
Forming back in front of the large building, they used hand signals to set things in motion and Buffy and Faith led the way through the door, catching the first vamp guard unaware, they dispatched him with no resistance.

Moving forward they took out every vamp they found and continued moving down the long and winding corridor until the came to an intersection. Just before the path went in three different directions, there was a door to the left with two guards in front of it.

Meticulously, Buffy and Faith took them out and Buffy opened the door and took a peak inside. In the far corner of the room she saw Dawn and with the biggest smile ever, ran over and gave her a big warm hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay. Did they hurt you? Where's mom? Is she okay?" Buffy said, pummeling Dawn with questions before she had a chance to breathe.

"I don't know where mom is. She took off. She told me stay here and said she loved me and then she left." Dawn said, still shaken up about the whole mess.

"Why would she leave? I don't understand." Buffy said, trying to envision a reason her mom would take off like that.

"She was saying all kinds of things. About dad and about this man named Giles. She said we should talk to him about all this. He's with some council? I don't know, but she said something about dad not being our real dad. That's not true is it?" Dawn asked, hoping Buffy would tell her what she needed to hear.

"I don't know about any of this." Buffy said, not really understanding most of what Dawn was saying, "I need to talk to mom. Where did she go? She just up and left for no reason?"

"No, she was talking to this Spike guy. He said he knew a secret and as soon as he mentioned this Giles guy, she freaked out." Dawn said as she tried her best to remember everything that happened, "She also said she sensed that we weren't alone and she was right. You guys are here. She knew that. How?"

Buffy gave Dawn another hug to comfort here, "I don't know Dawn. I just don't know. She was right and I need to find out how." She turned Dawn towards Xander, "This is a friend of mine, Xander. He's going to take you back out through the tunnels and take you home."

"Hi Dawn. It's a long way back, but I'll get you home safely. I promise." Xander said in his best reassuring voice.

"Oh and this is Faith, she's a friend to." Buffy said as she smiled over at Faith. "I have so many things to tell you about this whole day. Faith is going to be staying with us for awhile. But, we can talk about that when we are all back home."

"Okay, but I don't want to go without mom. Can't I wait until you find her?" Dawn asked as she looked up at her sister with her sad eyes.

"I'm sorry Dawn, but I need you to be safe now. Faith and I are going to find mom. It's going to be too dangerous for you. So please just go with Xander and I'll see you at home." Buffy asked and then motioned with her eyes for Xander to get going.

"Why is everyone telling me to do things and not telling me why today? I hate this. I want to see mom. She was so scared for me before and I'm afraid something bad is going to happen now." Dawn said, her eyes filling with tears again.

"Everything will be fine once you get back home. Please don't argue. I swear to you I will not leave here until I find mom. Okay? I want to bring her home as much as you do. You need to go Dawn. I love you." Buffy gave Dawn a kiss on the forehead, led them outside and watched them as they faded out of sight down the tunnel.

Wiping her own tears away, Buffy refocuses and turned to Faith, "This is it. Which way do we go? I say we go straight, and if that doesn't work we double back and check the other two."

"Okay, I'm ready."

With that, they were off again. Down the path and through a series of rooms, they cleared out each one and kept moving forward.

Spike stood across from Joyce, as she stood in a corner of a large dining room, waved his hands at the six other vamps that surrounded her, "Well, you have cost me about 30 minutes of my time. I don't like that. Either come quietly or we can do it the fun way. Your choice."

"You can save the threats, I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't know how you found about me, but you made a big mistake digging into my life." Joyce said, surveying the room as she took a couple small steps to her left.

"My, my, look who's making all the threats, the woman hiding in the corner." Spike moved forward and hopped on the extra long dining room table, "You aren't going anywhere. If you insist on making this difficult, it will cost you. I think you know that means."

"It's just like you Spike to go after the innocent. It is your motto."  
Spike took another step towards Joyce, "I guess you've heard of me. Well, that's good then; there will be no confusion when I tell you what I'll do to your daughter if you don't start cooperating."

"I'm afraid not, everything is going to end here." Joyce said and then hopped across the table, grabbed the vamp to her left, elbowed him in the midsection, knocked him to the ground with a forearm to the back and then knelt down and staked him as she looked at the others closing in on her.

"That's one Joyce, but you'll never get us all. Keep going and I'll make you one of us." Spike shouted across the room as he waved his vamps to attack.  
All at once, they rushed towards Joyce.

**A Laboratory somewhere.**

"Hit the kill switch." Riley ordered as he watched the vampires attack Joyce.  
Oz pushed the switch beside his computer and then sat back and watched.

**Spike's Crypt.**

There were bodies flying everywhere. One by one, the vamps slowly began to turn to dust. With only two left Spike began to get impatient and angry and so moved in and just as Joyce staked another vamp, Spike lunged at Joyce.

**Riley's Lab. **

"Hit the kill switch! End the program. Now!" Riley yelled at the top of his lungs. 

"I'm hitting it! It's not responding. Something is jamming the signal. We've lost control of Spike." Oz said, turning back to the monitor.

"No, no. This is not what's supposed to happen." Riley said, frantically looking for a solution, "Send some men to the crypt."

"There's no time. He's got a hold of her already." Oz said

**Spike's Crypt.**

Putting his teeth on her neck, Spike began draining her blood as she fell to her knees.  
Slowly she began to lose the color in her face and with time running out Spike removed his teeth. "Feed. You still have time! Feed off me and you'll live for ever."

With her energy completely gone and her pulse slowing every second, Joyce managed to open her eyes and look at Spike, "This will be the last thing you ever do. I hope you rot in hell."

Seeing no chance of Joyce changing her mind, he dove back in with his teeth and finished what he'd started and sucked the last breath from her.

Buffy and Faith burst into the room as Spike stood up from Joyce's body, blood dripping down his face as he stared back at the slayers. "I didn't plan on this, but she gave me no choice."

Faith looked at Buffy, who was in shock at what she was looking at, and tried to get her attention, "Buffy. Buffy!" With no response, Faith jumped into action.

The first vamp rushed at her and was dust before he took a swing, leaving Spike the last vamp in the room.

"You think you can take me down? Think again little girl." Spike said as he stepped back, "Just take the other slayer and leave and maybe I'll let you live."

"Do you know what it'll feel like when you turn to dust?" Faith said, her eyes boring a hole in Spike. "You better start visualizing it, because you are not leaving this room alive. Words can't describe what I feel right now, but I don't need words to make you pay."

Spike could tell he was going to have to fight his way out the room. He looked around one last time and then made his move as he rushed towards Faith.

Moving with precision she didn't know she had, Faith avoided Spike's initial barrage of attacks and with cat-like reflexes, she jumped over his head, put her hand around his neck and with one quick blow she ended the reign of one of the most dangerous vampire's to ever exist.

When she turned around she saw Buffy holding her mom in her arms, tears flowing down her face in a stream that never seem to end.

Faith walked over and knelt down beside Buffy, rested her hand on her shoulder and waited until she'd let it all out.

Time stood still as Buffy replayed every good time she ever had with her mother, but couldn't get past how things ended the last time she saw her.

Looking up at Faith, her face beyond sad, Buffy tried to speak, "I was mad at her this morning. I don't know what I wanted, but I think I wanted her to keep me out school for another day. I knew she had a meeting, but I was still mad when she took off."

"It's okay." Was all Faith could think of to say.

"No, don't you see, my last feelings about my mom were anger and bitterness. If only I was a better daughter. If I didn't get in trouble at the other school we never would've moved here and none of this would have happened. It's all my fault." Buffy said, positive she was responsible for her mother's death.

"We need to get you home. I'm going to call the mayor and have him send a team here to help... to get your mom out of this horrible place."

"Yes, you're right." Buffy said as she looked around the room, "She should be somewhere warm and safe and not this dark disgusted hell hole."

"I'm calling them now." Faith said, and then walked away from Buffy and placed the call to the mayor.  
  
It was 45 minutes before a team burst into the room. Faith filled them in on the situation and then walked back over to Buffy, "Are you okay? They are here to take your mom somewhere safe and warm like you wanted."

Buffy looked up at Faith, then saw the men behind her and then looked down at her mom one more time, "I'm so sorry. I should've gotten here sooner. Please forgive me."  
Faith fought back her tears as she took Buffy's hand and pulled her back so the men could get the body ready for transport.

When they were ready, they gave Faith the signal and she turned to Buffy, "It's time to go now. I need to get you home. Dawn needs you right now."

"Oh god no." Buffy said with a muffled scream, "How am I going to tell her? She's never gonna forgive me for this."

"It's okay, let's just get you home and we'll deal with that when the time comes." Faith said as she put her arm around Buffy.

"Okay." Buffy said, too weak to say anything else.

**Riley's Lab.**

Sitting at his chair with his head on the desk, Riley continued to look at the tape trying to figure out what went so horribly wrong. Oz stood beside him still shocked at what he'd just witnessed.

"We need to find the answer here. Something or more than likely someone, interfered with our program. This is not a mistake; this was deliberate. I want to know who did this. Bring me every single surveillance tape we have. From every single section of the lab as well as the outside feeds. I know we'll find something."

"I'll get on it." Oz said and then walked towards the door, "You can't blame yourself for this. It was someone else who is responsible."

"Maybe, but I created the program. I should've thought of a way to scramble the signal better. There are so many things I could've done to prevent this." Riley yelled as he smashed his hand against the desk, "Now I will, but at what cost."

Oz thought about saying something, but chose silence as he walked out the room to round up the surveillance tapes.

End of Chapter Ten.  
Feedback is welcome and appreciated at


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**Buffy Summers' House**

Dawn was pacing in the living room as Xander sat on the couch watching her burn a hole in the carpet. She anxiously waited for Buffy and her mom to return and as she heard the front door open, she rushed to greet them.  
Buffy walked in the door and the moment she made eye contact with Dawn, she saw her little sister's face turn from happy too devastated in a matter of seconds.

Falling to the floor, Dawn began screaming hysterically.

With her eyes filled with tears and not a drop of energy left in her body, Buffy willed herself over to her sister where she knelt down beside her and held her tight.  
Faith sent Xander home and then helped the Buffy and Dawn upstairs where they eventually fell asleep on Buffy's bed.

Not knowing quite what to do, Faith pulled up a chair and fell asleep by their side.

**Wolfram & Hart Offices.**

Morning at Wolfram & Hart was a time for meetings, meetings and more meetings. Angelus hated meetings of any kind and avoided them like the plague.  
Today however, he had a meeting with the three senior partners and it was one meeting he was happy to attend.

What he did dislike was the cloak and dagger routine he had to go through just to find the meeting in the first place. It was like a game of catch me if you can, where they sent Angelus to numerous locations, making sure he wasn't followed or bringing a pack of mercenaries with him to kill the partners.

After a couple long hours of following, what he felt were idiotic and pointless instructions, he ended up at a deserted construction site a couple miles west of the city limits.

Enjoying the sunlight of the early morning hours, Angelus got out of his car and had a quick look around.  
"Enough with the games. Either come out or I'm gone." Angelus said as he kept his eye on everything that moved.

Seeing a portal appear ten feet in front of him, he heard a voice call out, "The portal is what you seek. Enter it now or be forever banished from Wolfram & Hart."  
Even though he hated surprises, he knew he had no choice so he jumped into the portal.  
Unceremoniously dumped on his ass in the middle of an immense stadium, Angelus got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Okay, I'm here. Let's get on with it."

There were close to 50,000 people, demons and things he couldn't explain, all seated and staring down at him, when he noticed a trio of men step forward on a podium some fifty feet above.

"Welcome Angelus." Said the tall, bearded man on the left side of the group."  
"Yah, yah, yah, let's dispense with the formalities." Angelus said in a dismissive tone, "I've been trying to arrange a meeting with you guys for over three months, I do not need to be kept waiting any longer."

It was the shorter, rounder man in the middle who spoke next, "Ah yes, we heard you were an impatient one. Please begin, what would you like to discuss?"

"For starter's, I want a raise." Angelus demanded.

"Done." the wiry looking demon said.  
"Just like that?"  
"It is done. Anything else?" asked the demon.

Angelus studied the demon carefully, sure he'd seen it before, but tried to stay on topic. "Well yes, but I haven't even told you how much I wanted."

"I know what you seek and it shall be granted. Please move on." The demon said with a slightly annoyed tone.

"Fine, I'll get to the important stuff then. I want the power to kill my assistant without going through the channels. Lilah is annoying and I can't tell you how many times I want to sink my teeth into her long luscious neck and taste the warm evil blood the runs through her nasty veins, but I can't and I hate it."

"Angelus, if we allow this, we would have chaos on our hands. We cannot grant you this wish. Is there anything else?" Said the tallest man; his white cloak flopping in the wind.

"Then give me another assistant." Angelus countered.  
After conversing for a couple minutes the tall man stepped forward, "We will look into that request."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Angelus smiled and then took out a list from his jacked pocked, "Okay, I want a seat on the board of director's. I've paid my dues and I want more power. My patience is wearing thin. If you can't help me move up then I see no reason to stay with the firm."

"You would be foolish to leave, but that is your choice. We would revoke all access to Wolfram & Hart immediately. You would also be treated as an enemy upon resignation. Although we would not actively attempt to harm you in any way, we would respond swiftly if you became a threat to us. Be very sure this is what you want before you make such an important and perhaps fatal decision."

"I don't call it a choice." Angelus said shaking his head, "You want to control me by limiting my access to certain high level meetings, to security decisions and also to personnel decisions that affect me and my department. What I think you fail to understand is that it's unwise to make an enemy out of me."

"We are well aware of your power Angelus. With the Ring of Amarra, you are a formidable foe, but if we felt you were unstoppable, we'd give in to your demands. But, with every powerful item, such as your ring, there is an equally powerful counter measure." The demon said as he stepped forward, "We believe you have the potential to achieve greatness with us. Considering you are a vampire and have unlimited life expectancy, we believe you will be around long after we are all dead and buried. Patience my friend, it's a highly underestimated asset."

"That's a really pretty speech. Clap, clap, clap." Angelus said, clapping his hands in unison with his words. "Whether you have a counter measure for this ring or not, it won't keep you alive long enough to see the light. If I had patience, I wouldn't be here. And keeping me down on the food chain just because I'm a vamp is discrimination."

"You amuse me Angelus. Your sense of humor is always welcome, but I fear we cannot help you any further." The shorter man said, just before he waved his hand towards the ground.

A portal opened in front of Angelus and he shook his head at how things had turned out, "That's what they call an impasse boys. I've made my concerns known. If nothing is done about them soon, I'll have to call it quits when my contract is up. Which as you know is only two months away." Angelus added, making sure they all knew how much time he was giving them, "I'll be off. Thanks for the meeting." He said and hopped into the portal.

**Buffy Summers' House. **

Faith woke up before Buffy and Dawn, so she quietly slipped downstairs. It was Faith's first morning in her new house and it couldn't come at a more tragic time.  
Trying her best to stay somewhat calm, she looked through the cupboards and the fridge hoping to find something she could make for breakfast.

Cooking wasn't a strong suit for Faith, but she'd been on her own long enough to know how to get by when she had to.  
She settled on something simple, since she wasn't even sure Buffy and Dawn would have any appetites.

Once she had everything ready, she sat opened the front door, picked up the paper, walked back and sat down at the kitchen table.  
Opening the paper, she nearly fell over when she read the headline.

**Gwen Raiden Convicted of Manslaughter in the Death of her Psychiatrist.**

Before she could process anything Buffy walked into the kitchen, "Good morning."

Faith smiled, "Good morning Buffy, how are you?"

Sitting down at the table she looked around and smiled at Faith, "She's usually up before us. Always getting things ready, making us breakfast, making sure we were never late for school. Do you know what's so sad, I don't think we ever said thank you once."

"Oh Buffy, you can't keep doing this." Faith said, kneeling down in front of Buffy, "This is not your fault. A vampire killed your mother."  
"What did she say?" Dawn said as she stood at the doorway.

"Dawn, I didn't know you were there." Faith said as she got to her feet, wanting to take back her words so badly.  
Buffy rushed over to her, "What do you think you heard?"

"I don't think it, I know what I heard. She said a vampire killed mom. Is that what that Spike guy was? I didn't know they were real. Why would he kill mom and why were you there? What's going on?" Dawn said, the questions flying out of her mouth as fast as she could speak.

"Slow down." Buffy said as she helped Dawn to a chair, pulled another up and sat across from her, "There is so much I don't know about all this and there's so much that happened so fast I can't keep up. Something happened to me yesterday morning that changed my life. I'm beginning to think it was all a big mistake."

"That makes no sense. Just tell me what's going on. What do you know about these vampire things?" Dawn asked, hoping to hear something she could understand.

"I don't even know if I can tell you or should tell you." Buffy said, struggling with what was right, wrong and not having many answers for Dawn. "I guess I have no reason not to anymore."

"Buffy, are you sure you want to do this?" Faith asked, not even sure what the etiquette was for being a slayer.

"Yes, I do want to do this. Dawn deserves to know." Buffy said firmly and then turned to her sister and told her the whole story of the last 24 hours.

Dawn didn't say much through the whole thing, but when Buffy finished she had plenty to say. "Well, now I see I was wrong, it wasn't the vampire that killed mom, it was you."

Faith stepped forward to defend Buffy, "Hey, that's not fair Dawn. Buffy tried to save you both."

"It's okay Faith, she's right." Buffy said, walking over to Dawn, "Just not about everything. Spike wanted me, not mom. He used you and mom to get to me. I'll never forgive myself for any of this. I didn't kill mom and I won't have you say that to me again."

"Fine, but all of this was because of you. I just don't understand why this happened. Mom never hurt anyone." Dawn said as she broke down and started crying again.

"Don't cry. Please don't cry." Buffy pleaded, taking Dawn in her arms until she'd shed even more tears and released some much needed raw emotion.

A good 10 minutes past with no words spoken, Faith slid to the end of the table and read more on the headline.

Reading more about the story, Faith discovered that Gwen was in a psychiatric facility in San Diego when Gwen allegedly killed her lead psychiatrist. According to the paper, she snapped and without warning electrocuted him.

It went on to say that, Gwen had been at the Tranquil Nights Psychiatric Facility for the past three months for a parole violation. The facility primarily catered to those under-18 years of age.

Faith felt a strong desire to go visit Gwen, but the timing was terrible with Buffy having to deal with so much right now.

When the doorbell rang, Faith got up, answered it and was surprised to see Fred standing at the door.

"Hi Faith, how are you doing?"

"I don't know; it's not really a good time right now. Buffy and Dawn that are dealing with so much as it is." Faith said, still not sure why Fred was there.

"Yes, it must be terrible for them." Fred said softly, "May I come in for a moment? I was hoping to talk to Buffy."

Faith wasn't happy about it, but knew she couldn't stop people from visiting at a time like this, "Of course, come in."

"Thank you." Fred said as she stepped inside.

"Buffy's with Dawn right now." Faith said as she led the way, "There's a lot of tension and confusion about why this happened. I'm sure they will have even more questions when they feel up to it."

"I'm sure they will and I'll try and answer some of them and I believe they'll both want to talk to Rupert Giles when he arrives later this morning." Fred said just as she entered the kitchen.

Buffy got up and smiled at the sight of Fred, "Hi, I didn't know you were coming."

"Actually, that's what I'm here to talk to you about, but I don't want intrude."

"It's okay, this is my sister Dawn." Buffy said as she helped Dawn to her feet.

"Hi Dawn, my name is Winifred Burkle, but you can call me Fred. I'm very sorry for your loss." Fred said, shaking Dawn's hand softly.

"Hi, do you work for the same people my sister does?" Dawn asked bluntly.

Fred sat down in front of Dawn and looked her right in the eye, "Yes, we all have the same basic goal. I know it's hard to see in a time like this, but we are here to help protect the people of Sunnydale and around the world."

"Then how come you didn't protect my mom?"

"Dawn, that's not something Fred had any control over." Buffy said, her voice raising more than she knew. "None of us did. It was horrible, horrible tragedy that some sick vampire was responsible for."

"She's still gone." Dawn said, turning away from Buffy, still very angry.

"Yes she is and I don't know how we're going to move on, but somehow we will. She would want that. I know she would." Buffy put her hand on Dawn's shoulder and tried to console her as best she could.

"I can't talk about this now and I'm not going to school today." Dawn said as she ran upstairs.

Buffy turned to Fred, "Well, I guess we can have that talk now. Did you want anything to eat or some coffee?"

"No, I'm fine thanks." Fred said, as she watched Buffy sit back down, "I'm here to offer my help in any way I can. The mayor suggested I stay with you indefinitely, helping out around the house, doing little things and just trying to make your life a little easier during this time of tragedy."

"Thanks for the offer, but I couldn't ask you to do that." Buffy said politely.

"I'm offering, I think it's a wonderful idea and a great opportunity for me to help out and get to know you and your sister while I do. You can assure Dawn that I'm not here to replace your mom at all, that's not even possible, I just want to help. I honestly think I can."

Buffy looked over at Faith, "We do have Faith here with us, so that will help."

"That's true and everyone is happy she is staying with you." Fred said as she smiled over at Faith, "Still, you will have to get back to school and I can be here for Dawn when she gets home from school and I'm not the best cook, but I can help with that as well. It never hurts to have an extra person helping out."

"I guess it can't hurt. I accept your generous offer." Buffy said as she stood up and gave Fred a hug.

"It's my pleasure." Fred said as she gave Buffy a warm hug in return.

Faith watched the two girls hugging, looked over at the paper and decided it was time for a change, "Hey, I hate to break up the lovefest, but I think I will take this time to visit a friend of mine in San Diego. She's been accused of a crime and I want to look into it. You have Fred here now so you don't need me, I'll just get my things."

Buffy followed Faith through the kitchen and she stopped her on the stairs, "What is all this about?"

"Read the paper, it's the big headline." Faith said as she continued up the stairs.

Chasing Faith into her bedroom, she stopped and turned her around, "I asked you what this is about?"

"A friend is in trouble and I want to go see her. That's it." Faith snapped, then lowered her voice, "I know it's a tough time for you, but with Fred here I think everything will work out."

"I thought I'd have you here to. We haven't had a chance to talk much at all." Buffy said as she sat down on her bed, "I understand you wanting to see a friend in trouble though and I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"I'm sorry, I just read about it this morning. I know the timing sucks, but I do feel good knowing you will have someone here with you, even if it is the tall beautiful Fred." Faith said, smiling at the last part.

"It's good you can joke about it, but I'd really like to have you here with me." Buffy said as she slid her hand over Faith's arm, "I feel there is so much I want to tell you about my mom. I want you to feel like you knew her. She would have loved you. I know it. I just hope we can talk when you get back. I will miss you so much."

"Now you're trying to make me cry. I hate crying." Faith said with a smile as she sat down beside Buffy, "I want to know all about your mom. She must have been very brave to take on all those vamps. I know she was a good mom because of how well you and Dawn turned out. I hate leaving now, but my friend is facing murder charges and I have to find out her side of the story."

"I have so many things to do now and I have no idea where to start. I feel so lost you know." Buffy said in a reflective moment, "It's strange how much I relied on my mom and never really noticed it. God, I took her for granted so much. Anyway, this is going to take some time to deal with for both Dawn and I, but I do want to help you with your friend. I hope you know that."

Faith put her hand on Buffy's, "Of course I know you'd have my back. What you are dealing with now comes first. Besides, I'm just going to talk to her, if there's something I need your help with, I'll be back here dragging you with me, so don't worry about that."

"Thanks, that actually makes me feel better." Buffy said, a smile covering her face as she looked into Faith's sexy eyes, "I'm going to miss looking into your beautiful brown eyes."

"Just my eyes?" Faith laughed, as she leaned in and gave Buffy a big hug.

They laughed and held each other tight for a few long lingering minutes, slowly breaking free their eyes met and they both felt the exact same thing.

It was a moment of silence where nothing but eye contact was needed, but they both knew what they wanted. They leaned in and kissed, so soft at first. Savoring the moment as their arms wrapped around each other in a warm, tender embrace.

As the kissing became more intense, shifting from soft and sweet too hard and deep, long and passionate, falling back on the bed they kissed like it was their last night on earth.

Rolling back and forth on the bed, they began exploring each other's bodies with their hands. As the kissing grew to a fevered pitch, Buffy slid her hands under Faith's t-shirt and put her hands over her full round breasts.

Moaning lightly, Faith held Buffy's hands close to her chest, squeezing them tight against her breasts before sliding them up her arms and over her shoulders, feeling the warmth from Buffy's soft smooth skin.

With her thumb rubbing both of Faith's hard nipples, Buffy pulled herself up to a sitting position, moved her right thumb from Faith's breast and replaced it with her mouth.

Faith held Buffy's head as she felt her tongue sliding over her sensitive nipple, slowly licking every inch before taking it deep into her mouth and sucking it hard and long.

Buffy moved from one nipple to the next, her small hand caressing her amazing breasts as she licked and nibbled at her nipples, for what seemed like hours at a time.

It was then they heard someone coming down the hall.

"Buffy. Buffy. Come here please." Dawn said as she stood at the top of the stairs, just a few feet from Buffy's bedroom.

Both girls slid down off the bed, Faith pulled her t-shirt down and smiling over at Buffy, "We need to start locking that door."

"Yep, shutting it would work to." Buffy grinned and then got to her feet, checked her hair in the mirror and walked calmly out into the hallway.

"Oh there you are. Is that girl with the boy's name staying?" Dawn asked rather calmly.

"Yes, I think she can help us a lot. She's not trying replace mom okay?" Buffy explained, being sure Dawn understood that right away. "She knows this is a tough time for us and wants to help. She's just a very friendly girl. Are you okay with that?"

"I guess so; I don't really know her though. She seems nice enough." Dawn said with little emotion either way. "What about this Rupert person? Mom said we should talk to him you know."

"I forgot all about him. I'll ask Fred about that." Buffy said as she looked into Dawn's sad little eyes, "I don't even know what to say to you. I want to help you through this, but I don't know how. Is there anything you want or need? I am here for you, so please just ask if you want to talk or just sit together or anything."

"Thanks, I think I'm going to go lie down for a while. Maybe later we can talk or something I guess." Dawn said and then waved and walked back to her bedroom and closed the door.

Faith walked out and they went downstairs and sat down with Fred, "I'm sorry we took so long. We got a big carried away talking." Faith said as she put her hand over Buffy's as she looked over at Fred.

"I did want to let you know that Rupert Giles is on his way to Sunnydale at this very moment. He needs to talk to you and your sister." Fred said as she looked at Buffy.

"Yes, I guess my mom told Dawn about this man before..."

Fred jumped in as Buffy paused, "I'm sorry, I know this must be hard to talk about. I don't know what Rupert has to say to you, but I'm sure he will explain it all."

"I certainly want to know who he is and what he knows about mom. I think Dawn mentioned something about secret that Spike knew that freaked my mom out."  
"Well, he should be here before noon." Fred said as she looked at her watch.

Faith got up, grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and stood in front of Buffy, "Well, I guess I'll be on my way." Faith said, finding it harder to leave than she thought, "I know you'll have Fred, Dawn and this Rupert guy to talk to, so you won't be lonely at least. I'll keep in touch and I don't expect to be gone more than a couple days."

"I'm gonna miss ya. I know your friend will be happy to see you. Be careful okay?" Buffy said as she gave Faith a hug and walked her to the front door.

"I will miss you to. I don't think I've said that to anyone before. But, I will miss you." Faith said, checking to see if Fred was watching and then planting a soft kiss on Buffy's lips.

"Now I'm going to miss you more." Buffy smiled as Faith turned and walked down the sidewalk.

Fred came rushing to the door, "Faith, hang on one second." She said as she ran towards her, "If you want, we can book you on a flight to San Diego and pay for any hotel or food expenses you might have. All's you have to do is call the mayor and let him know what you are doing and he'll set it up."

"Oh, thanks. I didn't know you guys did that kind of thing." Faith said with a surprised look on her face.

"Well, for certain things we do. This is important to you and that means it's important to us. Richard will be happy to help. Good luck." Fred said and then walked back to Buffy's house.

"Thanks again." Faith waved and headed to the mayor's office, not happy that she was having a hard time disliking Fred.

End of Chapter Eleven.  
Feedback is always welcome and appreciated at


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12. **

**Sunnydale High School English Class.**

Xander was back in school, even though his night was long and ended on a very sad note.

Willow caught up to him in English class, "So, what happened last night? I know it was something bad happened. I could feel it all last night. I couldn't even sleep."

"Everything was going so well." Xander said. His voice full of hope, "We got through the maze of passages, we found Buffy's sister and I was able to help get her home safely, but that's when things went bad."

"I'm afraid to ask what went wrong."

"I wasn't there, but Faith filled me in on some of the details." Xander said, trying to remain calm as he continued, "I guess the vampire that kidnapped Dawn and her mom, ended up killing Buffy's mom in some fight. These two girls, still teenagers, have to deal with something that nobody is ever ready for."

"OMG, those poor girls. I feel so bad. I had no idea. I need to go see Buffy." Willow said and then started gathering up her books.

Xander reached out and put his hand over Willow's books, "Wait a second, you barely know her. Except for that weird connection thing you did last night, you've never even met her."

"No, it's not like that. I can't explain it, but I know Buffy Summers. I know her history. I know details about her that I have no business knowing." Willow said, more than happy to share this with someone.

"Okay, that's scary. I thought seeing you appear out of nowhere was freaky; this is just Outer Limits bizarre." Xander said as he sat back in his chair.

Willow turned and leaned over his desk, "I know it is. How do you think I feel? I don't know what's going on either. I just know that I have a powerful connection to Buffy. I just want to give her a hug and show her she's got more friends than she might realize."

"That's the Willow I know, always so sweet and caring." Xander said, smiling back at his best friend.

"It's the least I can do. She has to worry about her sister now to. She's got so much to deal with. I just want to help." Willow said, already thinking about how she was going to do all this.

"Well, I don't know that she'll want virtual strangers dropping by unannounced, but maybe we give her a call after lunch and see if she needs anything. That way she knows we are and yet we aren't invading her space."

"When did you get so wise?"

"Oh, I'm not really wise, at least not with most things. I do have my moments. But, put a pretty girl in front of me and I'll turn into the bumbling fool you know so well." Xander said with a smile.

"Yep, you're my favorite bumbling fool." Willow countered, "Okay, we'll call her when we go for lunch."

"Good, that's settled, so let's see what Miss Orlen has in store for us today." Xander sat up in his chair, watched Willow turn and do the same as the teacher began the class.

**Wolfram & Hart: Angelus' Office.**

Anya sat patiently waiting for Angelus to arrive, humming some old song as she flipped open a folder on his desk. The second her hand touched the folder, Anya was sent flying through the air, landing hard on her cute round ass. "Ouch. Stupid room." She said as she got up from the floor.

Drusilla entered the room, but stopped cold as she made eye contact with Anya. "Do you ever leave?"  
"I could say the same about you. Weren't you sent on a little errand?" Anya said as she quickly scurried over to Angelus' chair.

"Sadly, I was too late to finish my assignment and that's what I need to talk to Angelus about." Drusilla said and then walked over and sat across from Anya.

"As you can see Angelus is not here, so I'll tell him you stopped by." Anya turned her attention to the computer, but backed off just short of touching it.

Drusilla put her feet up on the desk, enjoying the look of annoyance on Anya's face, "I was under the impression Lilah was the assistant, not you. She sent me in. So I will stay."

"That little bitch shouldn't even be there. If Angelus had it his way, she'd be dead many times over." Anya said, her anger clear as day whenever she heard Lilah's name.

"My my, she does get you all hot and bothered though, interesting." Drusilla smirked.

"Don't even start." Anya yelled, "Do you have nothing better do with your time than sit around making silly innuendos?"

"You act like it's a bad thing." Drusilla said, getting to her feet and slowly walking around the large oak desk, "Tell me, where did you get that outfit? It's one of the few that actually look good on you."

"Well since you asked so nicely, bite me." Anya said, quickly backing up with a smile, "Of course I don't mean literally."

"But of course." Drusilla grinned, "Why would I ever bite you? You're now a big bad wicca. I don't need to be on your bad side. I do wish we could get back to how things were like, when I first met you. Ah, you showed your true talent when you helped me get revenge on that unfaithful man."

"That was a lifetime ago." Anya said with a sigh, "Things change in a hundred years. Although, I must say you still look good. But, I thought you were interested in Angelus?"

Drusilla moved up close to Anya, slid between her legs, "Angelus could be a very good ally, but, he and I are much too different to be together. You on the other hand have been on my mind constantly since I saw you yesterday."

"Really? I'm surprised to hear that." Anya said, finding it hard to concentrate as Drusilla climbed up onto her lap.

"Oh come on Anya dear, you know how things ended between us. I wasn't sure you'd want to speak to me again. I tried to play it safe, but as you can see, I'm not very good at that."

Anya slid her hand around Drusilla's tiny waist to keep her from falling, "I think we might be able to talk about all this over dinner. Say my place, 8ish?"

"I'll be there. Just point me in the right direction." Drusilla said as she leaned in for a kiss.

It was familiar, yet new all at the same time, but one thing that was certain, they knew their way around each other's mouths.

Their slender bodies melded together quickly as they became entangled in a kiss that wouldn't end.

Stepping up in front of his own desk, Angelus stared down at the two sexy women, "Is this what you do when I'm gone Anya?"

Anya pushed Drusilla to the floor and stepped over her as she ran around to welcome Angelus back, "I've been waiting for you. I've got some good news."

"I can see you were very comfortable waiting with Drusilla's tongue in your mouth." Angelus walked around, stepped over an angry Drusilla and sat in his chair.

"Oh honey, Drusilla and I are old friends, we were just saying hi. You know how they kiss in England, it's a big spectacle. Anyway, let me tell you about Spike. You won't believe it but I turned him into a girl." Anya said with a big laugh.

"A girl? That's interesting." Angelus said with next to no reaction, "I assume he turned down your offer?"

"Well yes, but you're missing the point." Anya said, as she pushed past Drusilla again and hopped up on Angelus, "A girl Angelus? Spike was a girl! Oh well, maybe you had to be there."

"I can top that." Drusilla said as she wiped off her pretty white dress and smiled at Angelus.

"It wouldn't take much to top that." Angelus said, pushing Anya off his lap.

Anya picked herself up off the floor, gave Drusilla a sneer and then looked back at Angelus, "Aren't we in a foul mood. I take it the meeting with the senior partners didn't go according to plan?"

"I don't want to talk about the meeting." Angelus yelled, "Now Drusilla, what is your news?"

"Oh goody, I get to make your day." Drusilla slinked past Anya and stood right in front of Angelus, "Spike is dead. Dust. No longer a threat."

Angelus sat up in his chair, looked deep into Drusilla's eyes to make sure she wasn't lying, "I don't like games. This better be true. Who killed him? One of his own?"

"Word has it, one of the new slayers did. I believe the name is Faith. Pretty young thing to. I caught a glimpse of her when they entered Spike's crypt. The other is a blonde called Buffy, quite a name I must say."

"You chose to sit and watch instead of helping?" Angelus enquired as he took in the moment as best he could.

"I do not call fighting two slayers helping, I call it suicide." Drusilla said, offended at the accusation, "So yes, I felt it was best to stay alive and provide you with the information you wanted."

"Fine, he's dead. He wasn't a threat to me anyway; I just wanted to keep tabs on him." Angelus looked back at Drusilla, "Is that all?"

"I can see you are doing that moody thing again, so I'll be off." Drusilla said, smiling at Anya as she made her way to the door.

"Good." Angelus said as he turned to his computer and started typing away.  
Anya took a step towards Drusilla, "Wait, I'll meet you outside. I just have talk to Angelus for one second."

"Don't be long." Drusilla purred as she smiled and shut the door behind her.  
"Okay, tell me what happened at the meeting?" Anya asked, hoping Angelus would be ready to talk by now.

"It sucked. I'm leaving when my contract is up and am going to kill each and every one of the partners with my bare hands." Angelus said with a highly irritated tone. "Now, get out and go play house with your girlfriend. I have things to do."

"Don't be mad." Anya said as she tried to get close to Angelus.

"I'm not mad." Angelus said as he stood up and began pacing in front of his desk, "What is it with women anyway, if you raise your voice you have to be mad. I'm not. I accept the situation for what it is, but believe it or not, the meeting was over hours ago and I'm past being angry. However, if you keep telling me I'm mad when I'm not, I'm going to get mad." Sitting back in his chair, he looked up at Anya, "Aren't you keeping Drusilla waiting?"

"Yes, I guess I am. Are you going to be okay?" Anya asked as she gave him a sympathetic look.

"Yes Anya, I'm fine." Angelus said, holding in what he really wanted to say just so she'd leave.

"Good then. Okay, I'm just going to dinner with Drusilla to catch up on old times. Did you want me to come over later?" Anya asked, checked to gauge Angelus' reaction.

"I have things to do tonight; you go have a girls' night out. I'll see ya tomorrow." Angelus said, this time ushering Anya to the door.

"I see you want me gone, so I can take a hint. Bye." Anya said as Angelus closed the door on her ass.

"It looks like I'm free all night. Do you think we can keep ourselves occupied somehow?" Anya smiled as she took Drusilla's hand and led her to the elevator.

"Oh yes, I have many, many fun things in mind." Drusilla nodded with a sexy smile as the elevator opened and the girls began their night out.

**Buffy Summers house.**

Rupert Giles arrived in Sunnydale under the worst circumstances he could imagine. He was met at the airport by a limo and quickly had the man drive him to the Summers house.

He stood outside and looked at the humble home of the woman he once knew so well. Knowing what lied ahead, he prepared himself for a very bumpy road.

Ringing the doorbell he stood back and waited as a tall slender brunette answered, "Hello?"

"Yes, I seem to be at the wrong place. Is this the Summers house?" he asked, knowing that neither Buffy or Dawn was that tall or had dark hair.

"Yes it is. You must be Rupert?" Fred asked and quickly opened the door and let him in.

"Call me Giles." He said as he put down his luggage, "Where are the girls?"

"They are in the living room right now. Follow me." Fred turned and walked into the living room, "Buffy, Dawn, this is Rupert Giles."

Both girls stood up and stared at the tall Englishman, Buffy moving forward to shake his hand, "Hi, I'm Buffy. This is my sister Dawn."

"Pleased to meet you both." Giles said, removing his jacket, setting it on the coat rack and taking a seat, then as the two girls sat down he continued, "I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, but we are left to pick up the pieces of this horrible tragedy."

Dawn was sitting restlessly in her chair, but couldn't keep silent any longer, "I don't mean to be rude, but could you get to the part where you tell us why you're here and how you knew our mother?"

"It's quite alright. I am getting to that, but I'll speed it up." Giles said, as he cleared his throat and continued, "I met your mother about 19 years ago, right here in Sunnydale. I know you want the condensed version, but I'm afraid it wouldn't do justice to this story."

"I don't mind. I just want to more about my mom and your connection to her." Buffy said, eager to hear more.

"I caution that some of this is going to come as a shock to you, so I will get right to it." Giles shifted in his seat and leaned forward and looked at the two girls in front of him, "Your mother was also a slayer."

"What did you say?" Buffy said as she stood up just as shocked as she warned about.  
"Please, sit down Buffy." Giles asked softly, "I know this is all going to be new to both of you, but it's best if I get it all out and then we can talk about it. Okay?"

Dawn just sat there confused, "What's a slayer?"

"I'll try and explain that as best I can." Giles said, learning quickly that this was not going to be easy. "A slayer, or more accurately, a vampire slayer, is someone who well, slays vampires. Yes, vampires do exist and your mother was chosen to be a slayer when she turned 16, just as Buffy has been chosen to be a slayer, or part of the chosen two in this case. Your mother was a special woman in so many different ways. She was more than just a slayer. She fought long and hard to try to live a normal life and be a slayer at the same time but as you will find out Buffy, that is no easy task. Do you any tea by any chance?"

"Um I don't think so. Will coffee do?" Buffy asked as she walked into the kitchen.  
Giles got up and followed Buffy to the kitchen. Hiding his disappointment well, he smiled, "That'll be fine."

Fred and Dawn followed and they picked things up at the kitchen table.  
"Well, tell us the rest." Dawn said impatiently waiting for Giles to sip his coffee.

"Ah yes, where was I." he said as he picked off from where he'd left off, "I suppose it would be best to start with how I met your mother. I wasn't a watcher then, I was merely a watcher in a training. I was learning the ropes with your mother's watcher. We spent a lot of time together and we connected right from the start." Giles paused, stood up and began shaking his head, "I find it very hard to condense years of experiences and feelings into a nice quick sound byte that you can comprehend. Saying we fell in love does not tell you the how or why or when or any of that, it simply gives you a word that describes everything we meant to each other. There's no way I can explain how deeply we felt for each other. Suffice it to say, we fell in love."

"I think that sounds beautiful. I'm glad you knew my mother so well when she was young. I guess I don't know why she felt we needed to know this." Buffy said, still confused about the whole mess. "This was all before she met my dad right?"  
Giles hesitated just enough to get Buffy's attention.

"Why did you do that? You paused. Oh god, don't tell me you were with my mom after she was married? You pig." Buffy screamed as she got to her feet and walked away from Giles.

"There you go jumping to conclusions again." Giles said, removing his glasses as he scolded Buffy. It's not going to help you as a slayer or in life, so would you kindly stop and let me finish the story."

"Fine. Talk." Buffy ordered.

"I will. Thank you." Giles sat back down, took another sip of tea and continued, "Your mother and I knew each other for three or four years before she met your father. In that time we fought hard not to mix our jobs with our feelings, but in the end we couldn't hold out. As we grew even closer and fell more in love each day, I got the call to move back to England to take the final steps towards being a watcher. This was a dream of mine and I couldn't pass it up. Joyce understood, but it was a terrible time for both of us. After I left, your mother met your father. They fell in love. He was anxious to get married and she said yes. This is where it gets very complicated."

"And why is that, cause you made her cheat on my dad?" Buffy said, staring Giles down in the process."

"It's not that simple." Giles said loudly, "At the same time as your mother's new romance, her watcher began having some serious medical problems and was relieved of the job. I was his replacement. Neither of us knew how to handle the situation, so we tried to stay focused on the job. As her wedding was getting close, Joyce discovered a secret about your father Hank. Let's just say it made her question a lot of things. One night after a particularly grueling fight, your mother required some medical attention and came to my place. I don't know how to say this next part without causing a ruckus, but I have no choice, after a long night of reminiscing, your mother and gave into our feelings and we made..."

"Oh god, do not say it. I get the picture and I don't want it." Buffy said, once again turning away from Giles in anger.  
"What's the problem? What did they do?" Dawn asked curiously.

"They had SEX!" Buffy screamed at the top of her lungs.  
"Oh, gross." Dawn said as she looked up at Giles.

"It was not gross young lady, but I'm not here to defend this, just explain what took place. Your mother went back to your father and they did get married. Joyce found out she was pregnant and wanted to leave her job as a slayer, but the council forbid it, threatening many repercussions if she tried to quit. Still, she wanted her child to have a safe home and she wanted to be there for it, or I should say you Buffy, as you grew up. This brought her to me again and we worked out a very elaborate, highly dangerous plan for her to get her wish."

"That can't happen unless she died and she didn't die." Buffy said, pointing out the obvious.

"Well, technically, she did die." Giles added softly, "Don't be alarmed, because as you said, she did not die for real. We recruited a powerful shaman to cast a spell on Joyce, rendering her dead in the eyes of everyone who mattered, meaning the Watchers Council. Once they declared her dead, the new slayer was called forth. This coincidentally, is also the first time two slayers appeared as the prophecy of the chosen two began to take shape."

"You're saying she died and then started a new life somewhere else?" Buffy asked, sitting intently in her chair as she listened.

"Yes, that's true. Your mother got married shortly after and you were born a couple months later. All was well. Sadly, something got in the way of her happiness." Giles paused, knowing the next part was going to be tough for the girls to hear. "Your father had a bit of a run in with the law. At the time, it was for a small time burglary operation and he was given a suspended sentence and probation for. He told your mother he wanted to provide more for you than he was. Joyce had gotten a job at an art gallery that allowed her to bring you to work and that was a priority."

"Why didn't my dad have a job?" Buffy questioned with a disappointed look on her face. "I don't understand why he would need to do something like that."

"I can't answer that for him, but I believe he wanted to do more. He wanted to give you everything he didn't have as a child. His solution was a quick fix as he never expected to get caught. Anyway, a little over a year after you were born, your father was sent to jail for another small time smuggling ring and your mother called me, because she needed someone to talk to. We had to work out an elaborate plan just to meet and when we did she told me she wanted to divorce your father. I know this is hard to hear and I'm sorry you have to find out like this, but it's the only way to explain my presence here."

"This is just so wrong. Mom never said a thing to me about this. Any of it. All those times dad was away when I was young, she said he was working. Sometimes he had to go overseas she'd say." Buffy stopped to think of what she's just sent and it all became clear, "God, I was so dumb. How come I didn't know? Why did she lie to me? Why?" Buffy said, becoming increasingly more emotional as she finished.

"I don't know Buffy. I can only speculate about her reasons, but if I had to guess, it was because she wanted to protect you from the truth. She didn't want you to think of your father in a bad way. It was not done for malicious reasons, it was done out of love and to keep the memory you had of your father alive."

"I don't care. It was wrong. I can't believe this." Buffy shook her head in disbelief at what she was hearing. "I just lost her and now I find out these things about her. It's like I didn't know her. I can see she didn't trust me enough to tell me any of this either. God, why did you come here? Why? To make us more miserable? Cause that's what you're doing."

"I'm sorry Buffy, but I'm afraid there's more you aren't going to like." Giles said as he stepped up to the table, "Your mother filed for divorce and wanted to start over. There was some glitch in the divorce papers reaching your father and then a mix-up over finding him a lawyer and it just lingered on for years. During this time we became close again, I was splitting my time between your mother and my new slayer. Eventually your mother became pregnant and Dawn was born."

"OMG!" You're Dawn's father?" Buffy asked, her face a mixture of white from shock and red from the anger.

"I was getting to that. I had wished to say it in a more civilized manner." Giles said softly as he backed up from the angry slayer, "In fact, I thought you may have connected the dots sooner, but I'm also your biological father as well."

Buffy and Dawn were in a state of shock, as was Fred as she sat and listened to the whole story.

"Now please, just give me a chance to explain this." Giles said, trying to pacify two angry and confused teenagers. "I loved your mother and she loved me. You were created out of love. I want you to know this. I know this is a major shock, but your mother wanted you to know."

"This can't be. How could my whole life be a lie?" Buffy said with a soft whisper, and then looked over at Giles with a look that could kill. "Tell me Giles, what do you expect us to say? Hi dad, welcome home? You can just forget that. I have a dad. I think you should leave."

Giles thought about trying to console Buffy, but could see the timing wasn't right, "I understand how you must feel, but I have more to tell."

"Oh great, what's next? Dawn and I aren't sisters? Mom wasn't mom? You are the devil? What? It's not like I can be surprised any more, so go ahead, hit me with your best shot."

"I am terribly sorry about all this. I truly am. It was not my intention to upset either of you." Giles said as he looked at the two heartbroken girls in front of him, "I know it's a lot to take in so soon after your loss, but I feel it's best we get this all out in the open so we can start to heal and hopefully move on from this."

"Heal? You have the nerve to talk about moving on? You can forget that idea right now. I might have to listen to this, but I sure as hell don't have to accept it." Buffy said, steaming mad and not hiding it, "Now, say what you need to say and get out."

"Yes, of course." Giles nodded, "Considering the mood right now, this last part is not going to be easy. I don't know what your mother told you about your father or where he's been recently..."

"He's working overseas again...OMG, don't tell me...is he in jail? Please don't say that. Not now." Buffy pleaded as she leaned over and hugged Dawn.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I do not take pleasure in any of this and I really had hoped your mother would find a way to tell you, but I'm sure she didn't sense the urgency at the time. Anyway, yes, your father is in prison. He got mixed up with some very bad people. It started out as just small time crimes, but it quickly escalated into much more serious fair. On their last robbery attempt, there was a shootout. Two security guards were shot, one died and the other was paralyzed. Even though your father didn't shoot anyone, he was charged with the same crimes as if he had. The two men he was with died in the shootout and he was the only one left to stand trial, and they threw the book at him. His sentence was lowered after a lengthy appeal, but he's still facing 25 years in prison without parole. I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to be the bearer of such bad news."

"Why is this all happening now? Why?" Buffy said on the brink of a breakdown, "She said he was working. I believed her. I hated not being able to see him. I tried to be understanding about it because I knew he had to work. Why didn't I see this? I should've figured out. Nobody is away that long. I mean, he never called and I always wondered why. I can't deal with this right now. You need to go. You dropped your bombshell, it did it's job, so go back to the Watchers Council and leave us alone."

"I know you're going to hate this, but I'm here to stay." Giles said as he put a folder full of documents on the table.

"I don't want to look at them now. So go away." Buffy said loudly, stepping towards Giles in a menacing fashion.

Giles backed off and looked over at Fred, "Could you please read the first document to Buffy."

"Sure, if it's okay with Buffy?" Fred asked cautiously as she waited for Buffy's response.

Buffy turned and sat back down, "Fine, let's get this over with."

Fred opened the folder and pulled out the first piece of paper and skimmed over it before she began, "Okay, I won't read it all, since it's mostly lawyer speak, but what I can say is that it's an order of custody. It states that Joyce and your father have made Rupert Giles your legal guardian. It also goes on to say that, they've transferred all assets to his name, in the event of Joyce's death. There is more, but those are the main points."

"No. Just no, no and more no. Is that enough no for ya?" Buffy snapped, and then turned to Fred, "How do I know those are even real? He could've created them. He could've made up this whole story. I will get a lawyer and fight this, so until then, I don't have to listen to this. Any of it."

"Buffy, there's one thing you might want to think about here." Fred said softly as she moved closer to Buffy, "If Giles is not made your legal guardian, you and Dawn will be put into foster homes and it's unlikely you will be put in the same homes and therefore will be split up. I don't think you want this. As hard as it is to accept everything you've heard, I have to say, you are still better off with Giles here."

"No, I don't care, I'll find another way. It's too soon, okay?" Buffy said, fighting with everything she had left, "I've got an idea. Let Fred stay here for now. She's an adult. She's already planning on staying, so I want her to live here until or IF I decide otherwise. If you don't like it, fine, I'll take my chances with a foster home, because right now I don't want to see you. Am I getting through that thick British skull of yours?"

"Yes, you've made it all very clear." Giles said with a soft, humble voice, "Let me say one last thing. I know you don't see me as your father, but I've thought of you as my children since the day you born. I knew I couldn't be the father I wanted to be under the circumstances, but let me tell you this Miss Summers, I have felt the pain of having to stay away from you for all these years. I did what I thought was right at the time, but I regret not being part of your life from day you were born. I also loved your mother very much and this trip here has been agonizing for me as well. I don't want your sympathy, but I do want you to show me some respect. For today, I will find another place to stay, but I hope you know this is only a temporary. I am your legal guardian and I hope to be a good parent to both of you one day."

Buffy paused for a good minute before she spoke, "I'm sorry if I got out line a bit, but this is all too much for me right now. I don't know, maybe in time things can different, but it can't be so soon."

"None of this is easy for any of us. I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere. I'm only leaving now because I know it's a lot to process, but as hard as is to hear right now, I will be back. I just hope we can past all this and start over one day."

"I can't answer that right now." Buffy said, her voice and demeanor both much calmer.

"I understand. I will go meet with the major, but I will call later on to see how things are going." Giles picked up his briefcase and his luggage and walked towards the door.

Fred followed as Buffy and Dawn stayed in the kitchen, "I hope you don't take Buffy's reaction personally, she's just upset. I think in time, she will come around."

"I do know it will all take time. I feel better knowing you will be here for them today, but I do plan on returning first thing tomorrow morning." Giles pushed the door open, then turned to Fred, "As angry as Buffy is, she can't be the one making all the decisions." With that, he closed the door, pulled out his cell phone and called another taxi.

End of Chapter 12.  
  
Feedback is welcome, appreciated and a great motivator to keep on writing.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13.**

**Sunnydale High School Library.**

Wesley walked into the school's library, sat down in the back room, set down a medium sized steel cage and pulled out a miniaturized version of the creature Buffy and Faith found last night.

Holding it delicately in his hands, Wesley set it in an empty fish tank, secured a lid and began pumping a small amount of fumes into the bowl.

Peering into the bowl, he watched as the creature began to move. Slowly at first, then as it consumed the fumes it began moving rapidly around the bowl in a highly agitated state. As the speed of the creature increased, it became impossible for Wesley to keep track of it and as the bowl became a blur, the glass shattered sending Wesley flying backwards into a wall, where he slid slowly to the ground.  
  
When the dust settled, the creature slithered into view. Only now, it was no longer the same creature. Instead, it had transformed into something three times it's previous size, with sharp fangs, a hard outer shell and eyes that had one purpose, searching for food.

It crawled over to Wesley, slid up over his chest and began sniffing at his jacket pocket. Pulling away at the button, the creature unsnapped it and pulled out the contents with it's razor sharp teeth. 

Opening his eyes, Wesley cautiously watched the creature nibble away at the packet of mustard sitting on his chest, "How many times do I have to say this, stop eating on my good shirts." Wesley said as he picked up the creature and sat in on a table, "You could warn me when you are about to explode. If you hadn't noticed, you almost killed me with the exploding glass."

With one last slop of it's tongue, the creature lapped up the last remnants of mustard and turned to look at Wesley, "Ah shut up."

"I'm so glad you still have your voice, albeit a rather rude one." Wesley said, pulling a piece of glass from his hand, "Tell me, did the gas affect you faster this time? I increased the dosage."

"You ask too many questions. I want food." The creature said in a loud, nasty voice."

Wesley picked up the creature and held it up to his face, "What did I tell you about yelling Sigmund? It's not polite and will not get you anywhere with me."

"Just because I'm under your control, doesn't mean I have to like it." Sigmund said, biting Wesley's hand and then hopping down on the floor, where it locked it's teeth around Wesley's ankle. 

Screaming and shouting, he thrashed his foot about, finally sending Sigmund across the room where it fell against the concrete wall and plopped to the floor.

Panic swept through Wesley as he dashed across the floor and picked up the scary looking Sigmund. Putting it gently on the table, he put his hand under it's soft belly to feel for a pulse, "Come on Sigmund, you can't die. Not now. We are too close to our dreams." Wesley took a step back and looked at the lifeless creature, "Wake up you stupid shell of a creature. I didn't spend the last 10 years of my life creating you so you would kill yourself over mustard; now wake up before I..."

"Oh shut up" Sigmund said as it opened one of it's eyes, "I'm going to kill myself so I don't have to listen to your idiotic ramblings all day long. Quick, pass the ketchup, pour some vinegar on my soft little tummy and watch me disintegrate. Yes, now that's my dream bub. Death by vinegar."

Wesley let out a big smile as he saw the creature come to life, but it quickly turned to a frown as it continued to talk, "I don't know how you got filled with all this sarcasm, but I'm taking it out right this minute you ungrateful pile of goop."

"Goop? That's not even a word you moron." Sigmund said with a slobbery grin, and then looked up at Wesley with a sad little face. "Oops, no, no, no, you can't take out my sarcasm. It's part of me. It's my soul."

Wesley fumed as he picked Sigmund up and held him up to his face, "One more wisecrack out of you and I'll put you on the next flight to...to...ah, I know, to San Diego. I know how you love the zoo. Maybe I'll loan you to the zoo. I bet you'd fit right in with the, hmmm, I wonder what they'd put you with. Crocodiles? You do have the same hard shell? Turtles? Nah. Lizard? You are kind of slimy. Oh, I'm sure they'll find just the right spot for you. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Sigmund grunted, growled and then sighed, "Maybe I said something I shouldn't have, but hello, you programmed me."

"I did not program you talk like an insolent little weasel." Wesley stated emphatically, then put Sigmund back on the table, "Now, what happened to Bongo? The slayers saw him and he's now in some lab being tested like some rat. Weren't you supposed to be watching him?

"Oh please, Bongo is an idiot. He's got the brains of a turnip and the common sense of a radish. It's not my fault I can't stop him. He's only 5 times my size." Sigmund said as he slid his hand under his belly and pulled out some more mustard, "Oh by the way super scientist, you might want to stop creating super, um, what did you say we were again?"  
"I called you, and please write this down this time. I believe I have told you this a 100 times. You are a curliquitaur. I thought you were the smart one?" Wesley said, quickly drawn into the game of sarcastic comebacks, "Never mind. Bongo was the prototype, but he was fed way too often and with too high a dose and well, that's why they call it science."

"A curliquwhat? Get a real name. Besides, I call trial and error by a lunatic. But, who asked me." Sigmund said as he licked another mustard packet dry.

"What did you call me?" Wesley said as he moved towards the table.

Sigmund hopped down and ran under a bookshelf, "It's a reflex."

Wesley walked over to the bookshelf, knelt down on the floor, "You keep this up and you won't have any reflexes."

"Give me more mustard and I'll shut up." Sigmund said as he poked his head up from under the shelf.

"I'm not buying your silence. I created you, which means I can undo my mistake and try again if I wish. Now shut up and answer my question. What happened to Bongo?" Wesley said, well past his patience threshold for the day.

"Fine, get snippy." Sigmund sighed, "He was outside the lab with me, Alec and Alex, oh and those are such original names." Sigmund laughed as he pulled out another package of mustard, "Anyway, Bongo was acting a bit strange, even for him, and he wandered off and I lost track of him. On the plus side, I smoked Alec and Alex at poker. Which brings me to another point, you need to give them more mustard for me to win jackass."

"I give you one thing to do and you blow it off for poker? That's it, back to the shop we go. Time for some adjustments." Wesley picked Sigmund up and carried him back to his cage, "Oh who was it you just hated watching on TV? Some music group wasn't it? You always covered your ears when that song came on. Anyway, when I figure out who it was, I'm going to reprogram you do love their music." Wesley locked the cage and bent down and smiled back at Sigmund, "Oh yeah, I can be spiteful when I'm pushed."  
  
"Well, since you're going to give me a lobotomy I might as well tell you how I really feel about you." Sigmund rushed towards Wesley, grabbed the steel wire of the cage with his sharp little claws and growled, "You are the most wonderful, stupendously talented, brilliant creator that ever lived. I bow at your feet and can only offer my most humble apologies and give you my solemn vow that I'll try not to be as sarcastic in the future. Wesley, my hero, please forgive me. I can't listen to that song again. It's like someone took out a needle and shoved it through my skull and pushed until it oozed..."

"OMG, stop. You were fine until the needle nonsense." Wesley said with a rare chuckle, "Okay, I was just kidding anyway. In an odd way, you're fun to have around." 

"I'll be damned; the science geek has a heart. I'm touched." Sigmund said with only a hint of sarcasm, "Now get me more mustard you kilt wearing sissy." 

Wesley started his defense before he knew it, "I'll have you know it's the Scots that wear kilts. If you are going to insult, get your facts straight you big shelled thing you."

"Big-shelled thing? That's your big comeback?" Sigmund laughed hysterically, "I take it back, you're not only a sissy, you're a lame ass sissy to boot. Oh and one more thing, are you telling me that not even ONE British person has EVER worn a kilt?"

"Well, perhaps one or two, but..."

"Just like I said, nothing further, you're dismissed. Case closed. Have a nice kilt." Sigmund snapped, then crawled back into his cage and finally took a nap.

Wesley had the strongest urge to laugh, but never in front of Sigmund. He picked up the cage and began walking out of the library when Giles walked into the room.

**Tranquil Nights Psychiatric Facility  
**

Gwen Raiden sat in front of the glass partition, waiting for her only visitor to show up, just as she had for the past 3 months. Like clockwork, a tall, leggy brunette walked in and sat down in front of her.

They both grabbed the phones from the wall and stared back at each other.  
"Hello Gwen."

"Hi Lilah. I didn't expect to see you anymore after I was charged with murder." Gwen said, still having trouble figuring Lilah out.

"I told you I wanted to help get you out of here. I still do." Lilah looked at both guards around her before opening her purse and sliding out a piece of paper, "It just got a lot more complicated."

"I know and I don't see any way out, well, aside from me turning the place into a cemetery."

"I'm not opposed to that idea, but that would just bring you more trouble." Lilah slowly slid the piece of paper under the slot, "No, what I have in mind is much more by the books. It just requires a little detective work and some luck."

Gwen slowly pulled the paper towards her, "Well, it's not like I have many options. What do you have in mind?"

"I've done a little digging into your past and found a couple people that might be able to help us out. Let me know which of those names you trust the most." Lilah said as she waited for Gwen to make her choice.

Looking at the names in front of her, Gwen was quick to respond and put her finger on the name as she handed the piece of paper back to Lilah, "This is the only person I trust completely."

Lilah looked down at the name, "I thought you'd pick her. From what I've been able to uncover about Faith, she's led a very unhappy life. Her family sucked, she ran away from home numerous times since she was 12. Had more than a few run-ins with the law and has now vanished from thin air as far as I can tell. Our last records indicate she was set to enroll at Sunnydale High, but I haven't been able to confirm that."

"Well, wherever she is, I know she's just trying to make it through the day. There are many things that happened to her that you'll never find out about, but they helped make her stronger and I know if I ever need her, she'll watch my back, she'd be there no questions asked."

"That's nice, but she's not really what I had in mind. She's just a 16 year old girl. I don't see her being much help." Lilah said as she looked at the other two names, "Anyway, I can try and get a hold of her and see if she can come give you some moral support." Lilah said, "Why don't you tell me a little something about her?

"Oh, sure. Let me think of the last time I saw Faith." Gwen said, leaning back as she closed her eyes and remembered the last time she saw Faith.

** Flashback. Beverly Hills LA. July 1996**

Gwen Raiden walked out of Iceberg's wearing a brand new pair of jeans, a thin white halter-top and the latest sunglasses money could buy. Right behind Gwen was an equally sexy brunette wearing a silver mini skirt and matching silver top, that was little more than a strip of fabric across her ever growing breasts.

Two girls, dressed to kill and with money to spare, did what any self respecting tourist would do in LA; they hit the beach.

Once they found a secluded spot just to the west of a family of four, they opened up their brand new overnight bags, pulled out all the necessities and were ready to start the day.

"Hey, did you get that new suntan lotion I wanted? It's really good. I still have my tan, see?" Faith said, lifting up her top to reveal the white skin of her breast.

"You're always tanned." Gwen laughed, as she handed Faith the lotion.

"Great." Faith took the bottle and poured a healthy amount onto her hands, "Now we best put the whole bottle on you, wouldn't want to tan up that gorgeous pale skin of yours."

Gwen removed her jeans to reveal her light blue bikini bottoms, and rolled over onto her stomach, "I don't call it pale, I call it porcelain perfection."

"I couldn't agree more." Faith smiled and began rubbing lotion over Gwen's soft smooth skin.

"Oooh, that's cold." Gwen said as she looked back over her shoulder.

Faith leaned down even lower and began massaging Gwen's lower back, "I'm sure we can warm you up in a hurry. If you hadn't noticed it's like 90 degrees outside."

"That's a nice place to start." Gwen said with a grin as Faith's hand slid down over her ass, slowly moving down her legs, then moving right back up over her firm round ass, "I'm starting to get this feeling that we aren't alone."

"What? Of course not, the beach is kind of full already." Gwen said, enjoying where Faith left her hands.

"No, I mean I think we're being watched. Is anyone after you for anything?" Faith asked as she scanned the area in front of her.

"Oh shit." Gwen said as she slowly turned over and looked back at Faith, "Well, I did have a bit of a falling out with this gang a while back. I was only 13 then. I stole one of their bikes and sold it. They weren't happy and threatened to make me pay. I left a couple days later and I've only been back in LA for a week. No way could they remember me. I don't even look the same."

"And here I thought I was the bad girl." Faith smiled, her hands moving up Gwen's tummy, "That's quite a story. You do lead a dangerous life for such a young girl."

"Not intentionally, but trouble seems to follow me around." Gwen smiled, "Do you see anyone around? If someone did recognize me, then I have to get out of here and you have to stay far away from me."

Faith stopped just as her hands were about to cover Gwen's small perky breasts, "Did you just tell me what to do? Cause I don't like that much. If you're in trouble, then we'll take care of it together."

"You're something else, but I can't let you stay." Gwen said as she sat up and wiggled her fingers in front of Faith, "I have my fun little electrical friends to help me out, but I couldn't stand it if something happened to you because of me."

"That's nice of you to say." Faith said, totally ignoring Gwen's words, "Now I see a couple guys just over there behind the white van. How do you want to handle this?"

"Were you not listening? These guys probably carry guns. Even I can't stop a bullet you know." Gwen said, enjoying the closeness this moment was providing.

Faith looked up at the two teenage boys and then looked back at Gwen, "Here's my plan." She said and then put her arms around Gwen and gave her a big wet kiss and then fell to the ground and began rolling to their west.

Returning the kiss was easy for Gwen as they disappeared behind a lifeguard tower, "Aren't you quick on your feet or is that quick with the tongue? Either way, you bought us some time."

"See if you can make out either of those two guys." Faith said as she let Gwen slide in front of her.  
Looking up on the hill, Gwen spotted the two guys. "I don't know. I can't tell if it's the same guys or not. People change a lot from 13 to 15." 

"They are watching us for some reason." Faith said, leaning up against Gwen as tight as she could.

Gwen turned to face Faith, but could barely shift her body around, "These sure are close quarters. Not sure I can concentrate like this." Gwen said, looking straight at Faith's cleavage.

"Even most guys aren't that obvious." Faith smiled as she slid her hand around Gwen's waist, "Maybe those guys are just out for some girl watching. Maybe we should make it a memorable day for them?"

"Just how memorable are we talking about?"

Pulling Gwen close, Faith reached around and slipped off Gwen's top, "This should get things started." She said as she put her hands over Gwen's round breasts, caressed them softly as she leaned in for an equally soft kiss.

Soon they were kissing as if they were the only people alive. It wasn't the first time they'd kissed, but it was the first time they had kissed so passionately and as their hands began exploring each other's bodies they were interrupted.

"Hi, can I play?" said a little girl carrying a pale full of sand and a plastic shovel.

Gwen turned around and put her top back on while Faith shielded the little girl, "Oh hi there. That's a lot of sand you have there. Whatcha gonna do with it?"

"Oh this, well I was going to build a sand castle, but my dad said I had to wait until the game was over."

"That's too bad." Faith said as she knelt down in front of the little girl, "Hey, look over there? See that family is building a sand castle very close to where you are. Maybe you could ask your mom to take you over there?"

"Wow thanks lady." She said and quickly ran back towards her mom.

Gwen turned and smiled at Faith, "You were so good with her. I'm impressed. Outside that tough exterior is the heart of an angel."

"Let's not get carried away here." Faith said, trying her best not to blush. "Wait, those two guys are coming down the hill."

Gwen turned just as the two guys stepped in front of them.

"Is your name Faith?" the one man said as he looked right at Gwen.

"No, why?"

"That's not important. What's your name miss?" The second man asked, this time looking at Faith.

"Oh, I'm Sally, I'm from Boston. I'm just here visiting my good friend Gwen here. Is there a problem?"

"You'll have to come with us miss." Said the taller man, just as he grabbed Faith by the arm.

"I'd remove your hand from her if I were you." Gwen said as she pushed the man away, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but you have the wrong person. Now, I may not look like much of a threat, but I assure you I will be your worst enemy if you touch her again."

"Out of the way or you'll be joining your friend." The shorter man said as he pulled out a gun.

"I hate guns." Faith said as she leaned to her right and lunged forward with a roundhouse kick to the man's arm, knocking the man backwards and gun to the ground. Faith took Gwen's hand and took off down the beach.

"Faith, you can run but you can't hide. Wolfram & Hart is your true destiny. The sooner you see this, the better off you'll be." The tall man yelled as the two girls disappeared down the sandy beach.

**Flashback ends.**  
  
"Back up, they said they were from Wolfram & Hart? Are you sure about this?" Lilah said, her voice showing the surprise she was feeling.

"Yes, why? Do you know them?" Gwen asked, intrigued by Lilah's excited reaction.

"Know them? I work for the bastards." Lilah said with a half smile, "What else do you know about this Faith girl?"

Gwen couldn't help but smile, "We met about a year ago, spent a good 6 months together, just hanging out, having fun. She's just your average kid who had horrible parents."

"You have no idea why someone was after her? She never mentioned Wolfram & Hart to you? Something isn't right here." Lilah sat back in her chair, opened her purse and pulled out a large notebook, "Wolfram & Hart only go after unique people, that's why they put you in here. I just don't get the connection."

"I told you they did not do this. How could they? And why would they?" Gwen asked, still not buying Lilah's theory.

"I can answer the why, those cute little fingers of yours is why. They are lethal weapons. This murder charge is never gonna stick. They are using it as a bargaining chip. I'm guessing they will play on your desire to stay out of prison and offer you the moon for your soul. Do not take their deal. Do you hear me?"

"Enough with the orders lady." Gwen said as she put her hands against the thick glass,

"You still haven't said why you're here, so don't tell me what to do. Who are you and why are you so interested in me?"

Lilah flipped through her book until she saw what she was looking for. Holding a picture of to the glass window, Lilah shook her head, "Is this Faith?"

Gwen smiled as she saw the picture of Faith, put her hand up to the glass and touched it softly, "Yes, isn't she beautiful?"

"Maybe, but she's also a slayer." Lilah said as she took the picture and slid it back in her notebook, "That means she's as deadly as you are, maybe more so since she's part of the Chosen Two prophecy. Just great, this is not what I need right now."

"Can I have the picture? You can always get a new one." Gwen asked and again leaned forward, this time with anticipation.

"You do not have a crush on this girl do you?" Lilah asked as she looked at the picture before sliding it over to Gwen, "She is pretty, but she's going to be way more trouble than you need right now. Let's get you out from this murder rap first."

Gwen grabbed the picture, held it to her chest, then gave it a quick kiss, before sliding it down her top and into her bra. "It's not a crush. I just really like her. Anyway, stop making this about me and tell me who you are. If not, I will put you on my block list and we're done."

Lilah let out a sigh, shook her head towards Gwen and then stepped up close to the window, "Gwen, you don't need to do that. I have a good reason for being here. Don't push away your only friend."

"I'm tired of this. I really am. For all I know you are just luring me to Wolfram & Hart playing the good cop/bad cop routine. Name? Yours? Now?"

"Normally I'd walk out on someone with such a bad attitude, but fine, if you want a name you got it. Lilah Morgan. Oh right, you already know that." Lilah said, not meaning to get upset. She calmed down and put her hand up on the window, "Listen, you must promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone. I can't stress this enough. Can you promise me this?"

"Yes fine, just tell me." Gwen demanded.

"First, I need you to know this was not my intention when I came to see you. I wanted to tell you then, but I couldn't. I wanted to fix this for you before we got into all this. I see that's not really fair." Lilah said, then a big smile crossed her face, "Hold onto to your hat Gwen and say hi to your big sister."

Gwen stood up against the window, staring back at Lilah and yet saying nothing. Slowly she sat back in her seat, still looking at Lilah she put her mouth to the phone, "Are you serious?"

"I would never lie about something this important. I swear." Lilah said as she crossed her heart for Gwen to see, "Don't think I knew about this all this time either, because I didn't. I found out the day before I came to see you three months ago. It's such a long and complicated story, but I want to tell you everything when we have some time alone. These walls are too thin to discuss something like this."

"But, I was told you died. Before they sent me sent away when, they said you died and I believed them. What kind of parents would do this? I cried so hard when they told me this. We were robbed of so much time." Gwen paused and a look of trepidation covered her face, "Well, this is going to be awkward, but I'm going to need some proof. I don't mean to doubt you, but so much has gone on it's hard to trust people. You must understand that?"

"Yes and it's good you are careful. I have all the documentation you need." Lilah pulled out a large folder and slid it in front of Gwen, "Here is everything you need to know. Our parent's were not who we thought they were. In many ways, I think it's best for you to remember them in a good way. Wolfram & Hart manipulated them once your abilities came to light. They saw me as an obstacle and sent me off to boarding school in New York. I never saw our parent's again."

Gwen opened the folder, looked at some of the documents inside and then looked back at Lilah, "This is just too weird. Why would Wolfram & Hart go to all this trouble? I was just a kid then. I didn't even know how to control my power. Now, I wouldn't work for them if they paid me."

"You have no idea how quickly they can change people's minds." Lilah said glibly, knowing Gwen was out of her league. "You don't want to mess with them. Best thing you can do is disappear. Once I get these charges dropped against you, I want you to go to the Midwest somewhere and become a teacher or something."

"If you knew me, you'd know that's not an option. I'm staying and I will fight whatever comes my way." Gwen stated firmly, then quickly changed to a smile,

"Anyway, I want you to find Faith and let her know my situation. If she wants to come see me that's great, if not, don't push."

"I really don't think that's a good idea." Lilah said with a big sigh, "We know Wolfram & Hart is after her already, I don't think we need that kind of attention right now. Could we just wait until I get you out of here?"

A heavy set guard walked up to Gwen and pointed at the clock, "One minute left."

Gwen leaned up against the glass, "Promise me you'll find Faith."

"Okay, I promise." Lilah said against her better judgment.

"Thanks for everything. Sis." Gwen said with a wide eyed smile.

"I will get you out here little sister. I promise." Lilah said as she watched the guard lead Gwen back to her cell.

When Lilah left the facility, she got in her car, opened her glove compartment, pulled out a business card and dialed the number.

"Kate Lockley Investigations. How can I help you?" Said the female voice on the other end.

"I need you to locate a girl for me." Lilah said as she started her car.

"And a friendly hello to you to Lilah." Kate said as she opened the Lilah Morgan folder on her desk, "As for finding a girl for you, that's really not my line of work. I hear there are escort services that will provide girls as young as you want. Did you want some numbers?"

"Oh stop the bullshit Kate, this is an emergency." Lilah said, slamming her foot on the gas as she flew out of the parking lot.

Kate sat up as she heard the urgency in Lilah's voice. "What is it this time Lilah?"

"I need you to find someone named Faith. I know she's supposed to be in Sunnydale now and since you're working there I figured you were the best choice to help me."

"Faith? No last name? That's not a lot to go on. Do you have a picture you can fax me?" Kate said as she began taking notes.

"I have other information about this girl, but I don't think it will be useful in finding her. My sources say she is in Sunnydale, so all's you have to do is find her and bring her to me." Lilah said as she pulled up to a red light, "One more thing, you should try not to use your tough girl routine on her, she's not someone you want to mess with. Ask politely and tell her it's for Gwen and I think she'll come without a struggle."

"Gwen, she's your sister right? How's she doing?" Kate asked, her concern for Gwen clearly visible in her voice.

"She's doing as well as can be expected, but she shouldn't be in that place to begin with. Lilah said calmly, speeding through the intersection fractions after the light turned green, "Anyway, this Faith girl is a friend of Gwen's and I think it would be great if she could come and visit her."

"I'll look into it for you." Kate got to her feet, walked around to the front of her desk and grabbed her coat, "If she's in Sunnydale I'll find her."

Lilah let out a rare smile as she pulled into a gas station at the side of the road, "Thanks Kate, I owe ya."

End of Chapter Thirteen.

Comments and feedback are always so very welcome. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14.**

**Buffy Summers' House.**

Buffy and Dawn returned from a much needed walk to find Fred sitting at the kitchen table talking to a tall, athletic looking young man.

"Hi Fred, who's your friend?" Buffy asked as she stood beside Fred.

"This is Riley Finn. He's a friend of Wesley's and has worked for the council for quite a few years." Fred said, as she introduced him to both sisters.

Riley stood up and walked over to Buffy, towering over her petite frame, "Hi Buffy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Buffy said as she looked up at Riley, "So do you work for the council?"

"Not as closely as I used to, but we still work towards a common goal." Riley said as he sat back down. "I just prefer to do my research on my own time. It allows me more freedom with some of my more unconventional experiments."

"Riley is the one responsible for some of the most in depth analysis of vampires ever written." Fred gushed, always happy to talk about her favorite subject, science. "Most of our knowledge about why certain vampires survive longer than the rest was done by him. I even based my thesis on many of his genetic theories."

"You don't look like a scientist." Dawn said as she smiled over at Riley.

"I get that a lot." He said with a laugh. "Actually, I had always planned on a career in football, but a couple freak injuries took care of that. So, I had to find a new outlet for all my energy."

"Still not seeing how science is a cure for an adrenaline junky." Buffy said, looking Riley over and trying to get a read on him.

"Well, I got into some martial arts classes to build up my knee and shoulder, as well as to work on my conditioning when football didn't work out. This allowed me to meet Wesley Wyndham-Pryce and from there I began training with the Watchers Council's elite special forces and from there I helped train many slayers as well."

"Sounds like quite a career you had going." Buffy said, acknowledging Riley's achievements, "What made you switch to science?"

"Mostly it was the drive to be the best. I wanted to know what made the vampires tick, why some seemed much different from the others. I needed to get inside their heads. I found the closest thing to that was exploring how their DNA changed once they became a vampire. It's really amazing what we began to discover once we dug into this more in depth." Riley looked over at Dawn's confused face, "I must be boring you to death."

"Oh no, I was just wondering where you got that ring from. It's way cool." Dawn said as she reached over to have a closer look at the unique ring on Riley's finger.

"This old thing?" he said holding it up for everyone to see, "I got this off a Deparis demon last year. I don't know much about it, but I was drawn to it and just had to have it. The Deparis demon is in our custody and wanted me to have this for all my help. Just so you know I didn't steal it off a corpse or something."

Fred had a curious look on her face and leaned in to have a closer look at the ring. Studying it closely, she noticed the blue triangle was glowing and put her finger towards it, but as she got within an inch, a sharp humming sound filled the room, just before a burst of light zapped Fred hard enough to send her sprawling to the ground.

Riley knelt down beside her, checked her pulse and then looked over at Buffy who was quickly by Fred's side, "She's alive. I don't what happened. We need to get Fred somewhere where she can rest."

"Upstairs in my room, follow me." Buffy said as she turned and led the way up the stairs.

Setting Fred softly on the bed, Riley stepped back and took off his ring, "I need to get this back to the lab so we can find out what just happened. I don't think she was seriously injured, but you should advise your watcher of what happened, then try and wake her up in about an hour. Hopefully it was just a mild shock."

Following Riley out of the room and downstairs Buffy stopped him before he could open the front door, "Wait just a minute. Why exactly were you here in the first place?"

"I just wanted to meet the newest slayer and pay my respects to your mother." Riley said, lowering his head and his voice as he continued, "I didn't know her personally, but I know of her great contribution to the fight and her longevity as a slayer and I admired her accomplishments. It was a tragic loss."

"Thank you." Buffy said, not sure how to continue her questioning after that.

"I'm sorry about Fred and I hope she has a speedy recovery. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call." Riley handed Buffy one of his business cards, nodded politely and walked out the front door.

Putting his card in her jeans pocket, Buffy rushed back upstairs to check on Fred.

**Sunnydale High School Library.**

Giles stopped Wesley in his tracks, his eyes glued on the cage in his hand, "What are you up to now Wyndham-Pryce?"

"It's good to see Giles. I'm terribly sorry about your loss. Joyce was a wonderful woman and she will be deeply missed." Wesley said, still avoiding direct eye contact as he tried to slip past Giles.

"What's in the cage Wes? Another experiment you're doing on company time? A new pet? What?" Giles said as he stood in front of Wesley.

"If you must know, it's both." Wesley sighed and put his cage on the floor at his feet. "A pet created from an experiment. I do them on my own time old boy, so if that's all I'll be going. I have a slayer to visit."

"What's your rush? Let me have a look." Giles leaned down and put the cage on the table in front of him. "Is it something you are working on for personal use or are you creating these pets, as you call them, to work with or in conjunction with the council and/or the slayers?

Wesley sighed, stepped up to the table and unlocked the cage, "Be my guest. Say hello to Sigmund."

Giles gave Wesley a bemused look, then leaned down and took a closer look inside the cage, "Well what have we here?"

"Take him out, he doesn't bite. Well, not with his claws anyway, just his foul mouth." Wesley explained as he picked Sigmund up and handed him to Giles.

"I'm speechless." Giles said as he tried petting Sigmund on his hard shell.

Sigmund sniffed towards Giles and pulled away with a horrified look, "You stink. You're not speechless, you're just witless. Now put me down you sorry excuse for a Brit."

Pulling his glasses off Giles stared back at the belligerent creature. "How dare you talk to me like this. I'll have you know I've been a Brit all my life and I'm proud of it. If you ever..."

"Don't bother Giles, he doesn't listen and you'll only encourage him." Wesley said as he rather enjoyed Sigmund doing his thing with someone else for a change.

"In spite of the inappropriate rudeness of this creature, what else can it do?" Giles said, sitting it down beside its cage.

"About time nimrod. Your hands are about as soft as sand paper and worse of all, you stink." Sigmund sneered as he crawled back into his cage.

Wesley closed the door, locked it and turned back to Giles, "Well, aside from it's skewed personality defect, it really does have a unique purpose. My main goal was to design something to assist our own people as well as the slayers. I wanted the creature to be more like a pet than just some automated robot enforcer, so I tinkered with the motor functions and as you see, it's a work in progress."

"Interesting." Giles sat down at the end of the table, put his briefcase in front of him and smiled as Sigmund looked back at him from inside the cage, "I applaud your efforts Wesley. Is this part of your feud with Finn?"

"It's not a feud." Wesley said loudly, then adjusted his tie and lowered voice, "What I mean is, Riley has his projects and I have mine. We are not competing against each other, so it has nothing to do with him."

"That's good to know. You two were close to killing each other the last I heard, all over who would get the Watchers Council's big research grant." Giles said with the hint of a smile, "I'm sorry you didn't get it Wesley."

Wesley picked up his cage and nodded at Giles, "Yes, well, life goes on. It was nice seeing you again Giles; I wish it were under better circumstances. I'm off to find my slayer." 

**Sunnydale High School.**

Willow and Xander walked down the steps of the high school, turned down the street and made their way towards Buffy's house.

"Should we call first? Nobody likes the pop in and especially on a day like this." Xander asked as he came to a stop.

"I don't know, I guess we should call. Do you know her number?" Willow asked as she spotted Cordelia across the school parking lot.

Xander watched as Willow's face began to glow, walked over and stood behind her, "She sure is hot."

"Yeah I kno...I mean shut up Xander." Willow said, turning around to slap his shoulder.

"Well, she is though. Can't deny that." Xander said, taking in Cordelia's beauty with an appreciative eye, "So, did you want to tell me what I missed last night? I feel like I'm coming in half way through a movie."

Willow turned away from Cordelia and then from Xander, stopping to look through her purse as she thought of what to say, "Nothing much happened. Cordelia took me shopping. It was fun and I got to see another side to her and I liked it. For some reason she likes me to and we hit if off right from the start. Everything was so natural. I just had fun that's all."

"I'm all for you having fun, I just didn't think it would be with Cordelia." Xander said, the surprise in his voice unmistakable. "It's not because I don't see why Cordy likes you either, but, well, okay, don't get mad for me saying this, but the way you are looking at her just now, it's kinda the way I look at Darla and I have to ask, are you attracted to Cordy?"

Cordelia walked up to Xander, "Why don't you ask me that question to?"

Xander couldn't hide his embarrassment as she struggled to find some words, "Cordelia? I didn't see you. I thought you were at your car. Nice to see you. You like nice. Very pretty."

"Thank you Xander. You look...the same." Cordelia said and then turned to Willow, "Hi there. I'm sorry I missed you at lunch, I had a meeting with the cheerleading committee and it just wouldn't end."

"It's okay, I know you're busy. Xander and I had a lot to talk to about anyway." Willow said, her tone changing to somber as she continued, "Remember the two new girls yesterday, we found out Buffy's mother died last night and we were just going over to see how she was doing."

"We did bump into them last night, but I didn't know you knew them from before." Cordelia said, slightly confused about the whole thing, "I am sorry if the girl's mother died. That has to be awful for her."

"I'm sure it is." Willow nodded her agreement, "We're going over there now, but maybe we can get together later on, if you're not busy of course?"

"My night is wide open Willow, so I'll look forward to seeing you." Cordelia smiled at Willow and touched her arm as she inched closer to her, "Give me a call when you get home and we can work out the details."

"I will." Willow said with a big smile, her hand sliding down Cordy's arm and off her fingers as Cordelia walked away.

Xander looked at Cordelia and then back over at Willow, struggling to compute what his eyes were seeing, "I don't have to wait for an answer to my question I see. You do realize you're not being very subtle about what your eyes are staring at." Xander said with a smile, enjoying Cordy's tight pants almost as intently as Willow was.

"What?" Willow asked, turning her attention to Xander, "Can't a girl enjoy a finely crafted piece of fabric?"

"Sure can kiddo." Xander said as he put his arm around Willow, "Strange isn't it, how it was only two shapely pieces covering her ass you seemed to be admiring."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Willow smiled as she waved to Cordy one last time before she turned to Xander, "Let's go see Buffy." 

"Good idea." Xander nodded and they disappeared down the street.  
  
Darla stopped Cordelia as she was about to pull out of her parking spot, "Hey there. Where are you going?"

"Just home for now, why?" Cordelia asked as Harmony slid in beside Darla.

"Hi Cordy." She said with her usual bouncy smile.

"Hi Harmony." Cordelia said with a forced smile of her own.

"Did I see you talking to Xander just now?" Darla enquired as she leaned inside Cordy's violet red, BMW 650.

"Yes, sort of, why?"

"Well, I need to talk him about the party Friday. Do you know where he was going?" Darla asked as she slid her hands over Cordy's head rest.

"They were going to see a friend who's mother just died, I don't think it's the best time for him." Cordy said turning to keep an eye on Darla's wandering hands, "Why not call him at home later? It's not like he ever does anything."

"I guess I can do that." Darla agreed and then took another look at Cordy's car, "I love your car. I need to get me one of these soon."

"Thanks, I like it to. Well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow then." Cordy nodded and was about to put the car in reverse when Harmony stuck her head in the window.

"So what were you doing with Willow last night? Seemed like you two were pretty cozy. Is there something you're not telling us?" Harmony said with an evil grin.

Cordy put her hand on Harmony's head, pushed it gently out the window and smiled up at her, "I have no comment. You'll just have to keep guessing Harm. Bye now."

Before Harmony could get another word in, Cordy had back out of the parking spot and tore off through the parking lot.

"I know she's up to something with that Willow girl. I will find out." Harmony said with a determined look on her face. 

"That's nice Harmony." Darla said, doing her best to placate Harmony's obsession with Cordy's love life, "Let's find a ride. I need to meet someone at the park before I head home. Did you want to come?"

"Sure, is it that hunky scientist guy again?" Harmony said as she began giggling and holding onto Darla's arm, "I think he likes me. He's always checking me out."

"Yes, I'm sure he does." Darla nodded and then flagged down one of the girls on the cheerleading squad for a ride.

Both girls piled into the station wagon and were off to Darla's meeting.

End of Chapter 14.

Comments and feedback are appreciated. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15.**

**Tranquil Nights Psychiatric Facility**  
Gwen walked back into the visitor room expecting to find Lilah sitting in front of her, but as she made eye contact with Faith, her eyes lit up and she rushed over to her, "I can't believe you're here. I don't get it. Lilah only left three hours ago." 

"Who's Lilah?" Faith asked as she got comfortable in the soft leather chair. 

"My sister. Isn't she the one who called you?" Gwen asked, still trying to figure out what was going on. 

"No, nobody called me. I saw a story in the paper this morning and well, to make a long story short, I'm here." Faith said with a smile, choosing not to bore Gwen with the details, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm better now that you're here." Gwen smiled and slid her hand under the glass partition, "You look great. I don't know what to say. Tell me what you've been doing this last year?" 

Faith slid her hand over Gwen's and held it tightly. "Come on now, you're up on a murder charge. That's why I'm here. To help." 

A tall female guard stepped forward, "Hands inside now. No contact. If you do it again your visit is over." 

Both girls pulled their hands back and waited for the guard to back off before they continued. 

Gwen smiled at the guard and then turned back to Faith, "That's my fault. I knew that, but I couldn't resist." 

"I know." Faith agreed and then moved closer to Gwen, "I know you didn't kill this person, so why is this happening?" 

"I had no idea at first, but if my sister is right, this is some form of blackmail and my only way out is to agree to work for some evil company." 

"That sucks. How does your sister know this?" Faith asked, then quickly asked another, "Since when do you have a sister? You said she died didn't you?" 

"It's a long story." Gwen said with a sigh, "I just found out today. I have as many questions as you do, but for now I have very few options and she does seem sincere and my gut feeling is she's telling the truth." 

"Well, you'd know better than I would, so I hope you're right. It's great if you've found her again after all these years thinking she was dead." Faith added politely, "I need you to tell me what happened. Why were you brought here in the first place and then how did your psychiatrist die?" 

Gwen knew these questions were coming, but still had trouble talking about both, "The quick answer to both questions is, I don't know. I'll tell you what I do know." 

Faith leaned forward to reassure Gwen, "Good, just take your time and tell me anything you remember."

"Okay, the last thing I remember on the outside was being at this club in West Beverly Hills with a couple friends. I snuck a couple drinks when the bartender wasn't looking and I wasn't drunk, but I was certainly in a party mood. I remember being on the dance floor with my friend Katie when this other girl joined us. It was pretty hot dancing with her. She was sexy and aggressive and she really was into me. Katie left and I was dancing with this woman and she asked me if I wanted to go to this VIP club on Rodeo Drive, so of course I said yes." 

"I'm going to have to find this Katie girl." Faith said, anxious to help out as soon as she could, "Oh and what was your other friend's name? They may know something that can help us."

"Slow down." Gwen said with hurried smile, "My sister is taking care of all this. She has people to do this kind of stuff. If you want to help, you should talk to her, but for now, I'd rather just spend some time talking about you." 

Faith looked back at Gwen, smiled and put her hand against the glass partition, "Okay, but there's not much to tell." 

"I don't care what you've been doing; I just want to hear about something else for a change. Come on, just talk to me." Gwen said, a step short of begging. 

"Let's see, I guess there has been a pretty big change in my life, but it only happened yesterday, although seems like a million years after all we've been through." Faith said, as she looked back at Gwen. 

"We've? Who's we?"

"That would be Buffy. It's a long, long story. Somehow, and I'm not sure how or why, but we have become the chosen two. It sounds kind of dumb when you say it, but we are born to be slayers, to kill vampires." Faith paused long enough to take in Gwen's reaction, but was surprised at how calmly she took it all. "You don't seem all that shocked by any of this. Why's that?" 

Gwen shrugged and laughed, "I don't know really. I guess because of my own powers, I believe anything is possible. Lilah mentioned vampires and demons a couple times, but she never really got into it. So, you're a slayer with some other girl? That sounds important. I always knew you had big things in your future, I can see this is part of it."

"I don't know about that, but I do feel like I've finally found a purpose to my life and if I can make a difference kicking some ass, then I'm all for it." Faith said with her trademark grin, "You know, I believe you have big things ahead of you to. Once this mess is cleared up I'd like you to come back to Sunnydale and meet Buffy some of the others I've met along the way."

"That is certainly a unique name, Buffy. I hope you get along with her." Gwen said and then shifted gears a bit, "I know we haven't seen each other in over a year, but I have to ask, are you seeing anyone?" 

Faith took a moment to think before answering, "I guess the answer is no. I'd say that there's something about Buffy that I'm drawn to, but I think it's the fact we're meant to work together as slayers. Anyway, it's not like we are dating or anything. What about you and Katie or the girl you left club with? Sounds like you're staying pretty active." 

"I wish I sensed some jealousy in that question, but I guess that's pretty silly of me." Gwen said, her smile hiding her disappointment, "Katie was fun to be around. She loved to dance and party and have a good time. As for Anya, the girl I left with at the club, I have no idea what she's like, since I don't remember a thing after we left." 

"Well, I guess that teaches you a lesson about leaving with strangers. Bad things can happen." Faith said, just a little snarkier than she wanted, "I'm glad you had some friends to hang out with. I am. I really just want to help get you out of here so you can start your life over. You deserve that." 

"That first comment is much more like the Faith I remember." Gwen said, her eyes lighting up and her posture changing as she sat up in her chair, "Direct and to the point, no pissing around with politically correct talk. I like that. And you're right, I shouldn't have left with that woman, but she seduced me off me feet. She was good. As bad as it sounds, I regret not finding out how nasty she might've been had we spent the night together. I bet she's a wild one."

"Well, it's a shame you didn't get laid. I feel for ya." Faith said as she got to her feet.  
"Don't leave like this. I was just teasing." Gwen got to her feet and leaned against the glass, "Would it matter if I told you I dreamed of you almost every night?" 

"Almost every night? I'm hurt. Who'd you dream about on the other nights?" Faith asked, her smile coming back to her pretty face. 

"Angelina Jolie certainly kept me warm many a nights." Gwen said as she licked her lips. 

"I do love those lips, Angelina's that is." Faith grinned and then her eyes grew wide and she looked deep into Gwen's eyes, "Hmm, since I'm on the outside I might just look her up. I'll send a postcard." 

"You're so mean." Gwen said with a sexy pout.

"Here, maybe this will help." Faith said as she dug into her wallet, pulled out a picture and handed it to Gwen under the partition. 

Gwen picked it up and started shaking her head, "OMG, you're gonna me cry. Where did you get this? How?" Gwen asked, clutching the picture of her and Faith kissing at the beach tight against her chest 

"I knew you'd like it." Faith said, putting her hand up to the glass, "I like to think it was just meant to be. I never thought I'd be able to give this to you, so I think it's the first sign that things are about to turn around for you."

Gwen reached up and touched Faith's hand, "I know they will. I'm so glad you came." 

Faith noticed the guard stepping forward, "Looks like our time is up, but now that I know you're here I will be visiting you until you get out. I do need to talk to your sister though, so do know where I can get a hold of her?" 

"She works at Wolfram & Hart, but she said never try and reach her there." Gwen took out Lilah's business card and handed it to Faith, "This has her home phone number and cell phone. Try the cell, she always said that was the most secure way to contact her." 

"Thanks. You stay strong. We're gonna get you out of this place. I promise. It was great seeing you again. I will be back. Bye for now." Faith said as the guard stood behind Gwen. 

"I'll be fine now that I know you're here. Bye Faith." Gwen said as the guard led her out of the room and back to her cell. 

Outside, Faith called Lilah's cell phone. 

"Hello, Morgan here." 

"Is this Lilah? Gwen's sister?" Faith asked, thrown off by the Morgan reference. 

"Yes, who's this?" Lilah asked, sitting up from her laptop. 

Faith got into the rental car, sat down and relaxed, "My name's Faith. I'm a friend of Gwen's. I just came from seeing her and she told me to look you up, so here I am." 

"Well isn't that interesting. I have a PI looking for you in Sunnydale." Lilah said, pulling up a file with Faith's picture beside it, "Since you're the slayer, I'm not sure how I can help you." 

"I was going to go talk to some of Gwen's friends. They might remember something about the night she disappeared with that woman and ended up in that nuthouse. Didn't you ever ask her about that?" Faith asked, 

"No, because that's the least of her problems." Lilah said, not appreciating Faith's question. "She's facing a murder charge, so I'd say that's where my energy is best spent."

Faith leaned in and pulled out her map, looked for the quickest route to LA and the city of angels. "Okay, but I did talk to her about it and I got a name of the girl who took her out of the club the night before she was sent to this place. Do you know anyone named Anya?"

Lilah got to her feet, her eyes filling with anger and surprise all mixed together, "Did you say Anya?" 

"Yes, do you know who this is?" Faith asked, sensing the change in Lilah's voice. 

"Oh I know her alright." Lilah said rather calmly, "But as much as I'd like to take her and wring her neck, I know I can't do it. She's a demon working her way to super witch. Sadly, I'm no match for her. If she isn't stopped soon, nobody will be." 

"If she did this to Gwen she's gonna pay." Faith said, her hands gripping the steering wheel hard as she thought of revenge, "I think I should head back to Sunnydale and talk this over with my partner and our watcher's. We need more information on this Anya demon as well as on Wolfram & Hart." 

"I can send you everything I have on Anya and the company, but you need to mention the name Angelus to your watchers. They will know about him and since Anya is very close to him, they are a dangerous duo." Lilah said as she made copies of all her files, "Oh and you should also mention the name Drusilla; she's another vampire with a pension for torture. She's had contact with Angelus recently as well." 

"Thanks, I'll be sure to tell them everything you've told me. I'll be in touch." Faith put her cell phone in her purse, made a left instead of a right and headed back to the airport. 

**Riley Finn's underground lab. **

Riley Finn walked into his lab, removed his ring and called for his assistants.  
Three men in full body suits ran into the room. 

"The ring has made contact with Winifred Burkle. I need to know if any of the properties, designs or anything about the ring has changed." Riley said as he put the ring on a secure pad and watched a glass shell cover it up, "As soon as she was within about an inch of the ring it sent out some type of electrical shock and knocked her to the ground. It appears all our research is paying off. We need to know more about this Burkle woman, and even more about this ring. Get on it. All other projects can wait."

With ring secured the three men rushed out of the main lab.  
"It's about time you showed up. I'm getting tired of sitting around waiting. Either you let me in your big plan or I'm out of here." Spike said as he shuffled into the room. 

"I thought you had more patience than this." Riley said as he walked past the much shorter Spike. "If you want to go back to your namby pamby scams then go. What I have planned will work with or without you. I've spent too long setting this all up to let anyone mess with this. Are you in or out?"

Spike walked past Riley, running his hands over the many test tubes on the counter, "I watched you create your clone of me. I was even stoked at what a good job you did. But, I fail to see how any of this is going to help me."

Riley unlocked a drawer in front of him and pulled out a video tape, "You know what this is. It's not blackmail, but it is a useful bit of history that many people are unaware of. Even though I don't need you, it would be a waste of my valuable time to find another replacement. If you wish to leave the project that's your choice, but I'll have to make some choices of my own." 

"That's just bloody great. I was a fool to trust you." Spike said, his face contorting as she changed into vampire mode, "We always knew this day was coming. Now it's here. Show me what you got." 

"You never change Spike." Riley said, not moving from his original spot, "That might've worked for your first hundred years, but things are different now. Technology is something you refuse to be part of. So fine, you can go to that great vampire land in the sky for all I care."

"I've spent three months being used as a guinea pig, but every time I asked about your plan, you blew me off. I'm starting to think you don't have one." Spike said as she inched towards a stationary Riley, "I'll enjoy sucking the life of you."

Lunging at Riley with a vicious right cross to the side of his head, Spike jumped on top and quickly pounced on his throat with his sharp fangs. 

As he made contact with Riley's skin, he immediately pulled back, "What the..." Spike said as he felt a burning sensation throughout his mouth. 

Riley stood up and walked over to Spike without a mark on his neck. "Do you really take me for a fool? I knew you would try something like this one day and as you can see, I took the necessary precautions. Now, get out of my lab before I stake you myself." 

"I don't know what you did, but this isn't over. Not on your life." Spike took off out of the lab and ran off into the woods. 

Oz walked into the lab after Spike took off, stood beside Riley and handed him a beer, "I think it's good that he's gone. I never trusted him. He's too smooth, too unpredictable to trust." 

"You were right." Riley said as he opened his beer, "I thought he could help us. Technically he did. The research we got from him was priceless. There's so much more he has no idea about. I assume the homing device is working?" 

Oz flipped open a computer console, pushed a few buttons and pulled up a map of Sunnydale. On it was a red flashing dot moving away from the lab, "There he is. One guess where he goes next?" 

Riley smiled as he watched Spike slowly move further away from the lab, "I'm not sure this time. Although he doesn't know Drusilla is working with Angelus, but there is another option I think he might choose." 

"Are you thinking he might try and hook up with Angelus again?" Oz asked, while pulling up Spike's file on another computer. 

"I think he's going to be freaked out by his inability to kill me for one thing. He's not used to that." Riley said with a satisfied look on his face, "He may be a loner, but I think he's going to try and put a group together and come right back here and try and take me out."

"Couldn't be more perfect if he does." Oz agreed.

"Did you have a chance to check out the surveillance tapes yet?" 

"Not all of them, so far I've turned up nothing useful. I'm about half way through, so hopefully we'll find something on the next group." Oz said and then changed the subject,

"Listen, about the recruiting, I've brought in another 15 for processing. I can get more, but I got tell ya, I'm getting bored with it. Before I started using the band to recruit, it was hard to get anyone to buy my pitch, but now that I'm in the band, I could say I want them to give me their hearts and they'd smile and hand em over, it's quite depressing." 

"Oh Oz, try and think of the big picture." Riley said enthusiastically, as he patted Oz on the back. "Besides, if you want to recruit them for yourself, feel free. We probably won't need much more than the original 100 anyway. Things are starting to fall into place and I can't wait until we move to the next phase." 

"No way I want a groupie." Oz said shaking his head as fast as he could. "I want a nice girl. Someone who actually notices me when I'm not on stage pretending I can play guitar. I know there's one out there somewhere. There has to be."  
Riley sat down beside Oz and sat his beer on the desk, "I thought you had a good feeling about Jenny?" 

"If you weren't so dense you would see she clearly spent more time talking to you." Oz said as he gave Riley a dirty look, "Besides, I'm starting to like this girl who comes to the club every Friday for open mike night. She's got an amazing voice and she talked to me long before she knew I was in a band. I'd say that is a good sign." 

"Come on Oz, Jenny is an employee, so of course she is going to talk to me." Riley added, trying to draw attention away from himself, "Maybe it was just me, but she seemed fascinated by your artwork. She is a photographer you know, she is into art and that kind of stuff." 

"Stuff?" Oz shook his head again, "You have so little appreciation for what I do. Yes, I know writing songs isn't creating clones, but it's a great way to relax."  
"And meet girls." Riley said with a laugh, "Anyway, who is this girl you're talking about?" 

"Right now she's just someone I've talked to a couple times. I have no sense if a girl is interested in me or just being polite, so who knows. She seems friendly and even if it stays like this, I do enjoy talking to her." 

Riley looked at his watch and then stood up, "Don't wait too long to make your move or someone else will beat you to it. Listen, I have another meeting with Jenny, did you want to come?" 

"Nah, I'm gonna track Spike for awhile and then head to the club later on." Oz said as he maximized his computer screen. 

"Okay then, I'm meeting Jenny at The Bronze, so maybe I'll see ya there." Riley got up grabbed his coat and a large briefcase and took off out the door. 

End of Chapter 15.  
Comments and feedback are quite the motivators.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16. **

**Buffy Summers House.**

Buffy sat beside Fred's side, monitoring her pulse as she waited for the cavalry to arrive.

Dawn had just stepped into the kitchen when the doorbell rang, so she turned, walked into the living room and asked who was there.

"It's Wesley Wyndham-Price. I'm Buffy's watcher. I brought the mayor and Giles with me as soon as I got Buffy's call. May we come in?"

"Can I see some ID?" Dawn yelled out as she peaked through the side of the window to see who was there. 

"Hi Dawn, it's Giles, it's okay to open up."

Dawn spotted Giles who waved back at her, so she opened the door and let the three men inside.

"Where's Fred?" Giles asked as he looked around the living room.

"Upstairs with Buffy. Is she going to be okay?" Dawn asked as she led everyone up the stairs and into Buffy's room.

"I hope so." Giles nodded as he moved over to the side of the bed, "Has she woke up since this happened?"

Buffy looked over at Giles, her eyes heavy from the days events, "One time she opened her eyes and even sat up, but she fell back to the pillow and closed her eyes right after and hasn't changed since."

Giles took out his medical supplies and promptly put a stethoscope to Fred's chest, "She seems to be breathing quite clearly. That's very good to see. You told me a bit about what happened, but could you fill me in again on exactly how this occurred?"

Taking her time, Buffy went through the whole meeting with Riley step by step and sat back down as she finished, "That's everything. It was the ring that did this and Riley was gone before I could ask more about it."

Giles sat up and looked directly at Wesley, "Take Buffy downstairs, hook her computer up to our database and let her look through every ring known to us."

"Right then, follow me Miss Summers." Wesley said as he walked out the door and down the stairs.

"Could you call me Buffy please; Miss Summers is way too formal." Buffy said, turning her computer on and stepping out of the way, "So do you have every ring listed in this database thing?"

"Most every magical ring yes." Giles said as he tapped into the Watchers Council database, "It's constantly being updated and I'm hoping a ring with this kind of power will be here and you'll be able to pick it out."

Buffy stood beside Giles and watched as he pulled up a page filled with rings of all shapes and colors. "Wow, that's a lot of rings." As she began looking down the first of three columns on the left, she saw at the bottom, Page 1 of 1,152, "OMG, It'll take years to go through that many pages."

"Yes, well it might very well take a number of hours doing it that way, but we do have the fancy sort function that should cut that number drastically." Wesley said and then began typing in all the information Buffy had on the ring and hit the enter key. "Voila, now there are only 17 pages, so that should be much easier to sift through."

"Great, thanks. I think I can manage now." Buffy said, pushing Wesley out of the chair.  
It was a slow process to look at each ring carefully, but eventually Buffy had it down to an art form and on the 12th page she spotted the ring, "Wes, this is it."

Pointing to the ring, she clicked to enlarge the picture of what they now could call, Ring of Kippirru. 

"Very nice work Buffy." Wesley said, "Click on the information link."

Buffy clicked the link and they both began reading.

Ring of Kippirru. A beautifully crafted metallic silver ring; set with the three unique designs in a blue triangle above the main stone; which is a magnificent diamond pendant, 24-karat gold piece of perfection.

Each of three unique designs traces back to demon race, long thought to be extinct, the Glascoph's.

What makes the Glascoph's even more interesting is the fact they were from all accounts an all female race of demons, forever linked to the goddess Aphrodite.

The first design is of the queen of the Glascoph's, Millicent. The second design is of the city of Carravella, the capital city of the Glascoph's. The last design is of queen Millicent and her lover Marisella.

While thought to be extinct, this ring, discovered only a year ago off a Deparis demon makes rumors of their return much more intriguing.  
  
"That all sounds so exciting; like we're discovering a lost civilization." Buffy's enthusiasm was bursting through her wide eyes, "Oh look, there's a picture of Queen Millicent."

Clicking on the picture brought up a life sized portrait of Millicent. Next they brought up a pictures of Carravella and then finally they clicked on a picture of Millicent with Marisella.

"OMG." Buffy said with her mouth wide open.

"My sentiments exactly." Wes said and then printed out the picture and pulled it up to his face, "This is an amazing likeness."

"Screw likeness. That's her. That's Fred." Buffy stated bluntly, "Every inch of her is the exact same. Every curve, every contour, from her gorgeous eye lashes, to her warm inviting smile, Marisella is Fred's identical twin."

"Well, now we have some idea why the ring reacted, but now we have even more questions to ask." Wes said, still staring at the picture, "Like why did Riley bring it here in the first place. Did he know Fred was here? If so, what was he trying to do? Not to mention, what did the ring to do Fred?"

Buffy thought back to her meeting with Riley, "I didn't notice it at the time, but Riley did seem surprised to see us and he did take off as soon as Fred was hurt. I don't have a good feeling about this."

"I certainly have my issues with Mr. Finn, but I've never known him to be malicious, so I need to talk to him and find out just what he was doing here." Wes then turned back to the computer, "If you have some time, try looking up the Glascoph's and see what you can find out about them."

"Okay, I could use some help though, I want to go check on Fred and I'm not sure Dawn's quite ready to be looking up demons and such." Buffy said without turning away from the computer.

Before Wes could respond, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." He said as he opened to door to see Willow and Xander were standing in front of him, "May I help you?"

"Um, who are you?" Xander asked, trying to look past Wes into Buffy's house.

"I'm Wesley Windham-Price. Who might you be?"

Xander was growing impatient, "I might be your momma, but I'm not, so get out of the way before I knock you out of the way."

"Xander, stop it." Willow said as she stepped in front of him, "Hi, I'm Willow and we're friends of Buffy's. Is she in?"

"Oh, of course. Just a moment please." Wes closed the door and walked back over to Buffy, "There are two young people at the door. One rather rude young man and a very pleasant young woman. Willow and Xander are their names. Should I let them in?"

"Yes."

"Right then." Wes nodded and walked back and let the two teenagers in.

"Thanks buddy. Here, take my coat." Xander said, handing Wes his jacket as he walked over towards Buffy.

Willow smiled and followed Xander over to the computer, "Hi Buffy. I didn't know you had company. Are we intruding? Cause we can come back if we are."

"No, I'm glad you're both here." Buffy said as she got up and gave Willow and Xander a hug, "It's been such a long day and I have a lot to tell you and a lot that I have to do."

"Whatever we can do to help just let us know." Willow said in her best reassuring voice.

"Yep, if you want me to get rid of that annoying butler of yours, just let me know." Xander said, still eyeing Wes closely.

"Xander, he's not my butler, he's my watcher." Buffy grabbed Xander and pulled him over to the other side of the computer, "He's one of us. The good guys. Anyway, what I would love for you guys to do is look up Glascoph's using this search function here. Print out anything you can find."

"Sure Buffy, can we ask what this is all about? Or is it top secret?" Willow asked, lowering her voice for the last question.

"To be quite honest, I have no idea what this is all going to be about." Buffy said, getting up from her chair and sitting Willow down in her place, "It has to do with a ring, a girl, some demons, an ex council guy, who's now some kind of mad scientist and well, so far it's a giant puzzle and we have only a few pieces and no way of knowing where they go."

"I love puzzles." Willow chirped in with her infectious smile.

"I'd much rather hit something. Are you sure there isn't anything else I could do?" Xander asked with a hopefully stare, "I still say we should watch this Wesley character. He seems shady. A bumbling kind of shady, but still...or I could go find the mad scientist guy. That sounds like fun."

"That's nice of you to offer Xander, but that's something I might be doing soon. I just need to make sure Fred is okay before I go anywhere."

"You seem very worried about her. Is she going to be okay?" Willow asked, quickly changing her tone to concern.

"I think so, but it's just so sad seeing her like this. She was laughing and smiling one second and then on the floor in a flash the next." Buffy's face grew sad as she replayed the accident in her mind, "Anyway, I'm going up to see her, so good luck with the computer stuff and I'll be back down soon."

Xander stared over at Wesley once more and then grabbed Buffy's hand, "Could you take the butler with you, he's creeping me out just standing there looking suspicious the whole time."

Buffy laughed as she rolled her eyes and then walked over to Wesley and led him up the stairs.

When Buffy walked into the room she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Fred sitting up in the bed, wide awake and talking to Giles.

She quickly rushed over and gave Fred a big hug, "I'm so happy you're okay. I mean, are you okay? Does it hurt? Are you sore? Do you remember anything? Did you..."

"Buffy." Giles interrupted, "Slow down. She just woke up moments ago. I think she needs some space."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry." Buffy said, sliding off the bed quickly.

"No, it's okay Buffy. I'm fine. A little groggy, but I remember everything and I did need a hug, so thanks." She said with a smile directed right at Buffy.

"Good, I knew you did." Buffy grinned and sat back down beside Fred, "You look good though. You looked a bit pale for a while there, but you are getting that glow back now and I think that's a good sign."

"Well yes, it's a good first step." Giles removed the blood pressure device from Fred's arm and put it in his bag, "I think maybe we should let Fred rest a bit now. You can stay with her for a bit, but try not to tire her out, okay?"

"I won't. I promise." Buffy said as Giles picked up his stuff and left the room with the mayor.

"I guess I gave everyone quite a scare. I sure didn't mean to." Fred said almost apologetically.

"It just shows how many people care about you." Buffy added as she stared deep into Fred's eyes.

"What? Do I have something on my face? Is my makeup running?" Fred said, covering her face with her hands.

Buffy pulled Fred's hands away, "No silly, I was just looking at your eyes."

"Why is that?" Fred asked curiously, her eyes now focusing in on Buffy's green eyes.

"I don't know really, I just think you have beautiful brown eyes. I didn't mean to stare." Buffy said, very aware of Fred's penetrating stare.

"Well thank you." Fred smiled, "I think you have very expressive eyes, so pretty to."

"I was just noticing that your eyes seem much more soft and pretty than Marisella's." Buffy saw the confused look on Fred's face and knew she'd just said something she shouldn't, "Anyway, I should let you get some rest. I'll be back soon."

Buffy got up to leave, but didn't get very far.

"Stop right there." Fred said loudly, "Now sit your cute little butt down and tell me who Marisella is and why you compared me to her."

Turning slowly to face Fred, Buffy knew she just spilled the beans and now had to decide what to tell her, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to mention any of this now. You do not need to worry about anything but getting your strength back."

"If you keep stalling I'll show you how strong I am." Fred said in as threatening a manner as she was capable of, "Come on, what's going on? I deserve to know if it's about me."

"I know and I agree, but you have been through a lot already." Buffy moved back over and hopped up beside Fred, "You're right. You do deserve to know this. I'll tell you and we can move on from there."

"Thank you Buffy." Fred said, lying back down as Buffy told her everything she knew about the ring.

**Wolfram & Hart's LA Office.**

Lilah made her way to her office, doing her best to hold in her emotions as she spotted Anya standing outside Angelus' office. As she made it to her desk, she tried to ignore Anya, but knew that wouldn't last long and she was right.

"Hi Lilah. I love the skirt." Anya said with a sly grin.

"Thanks." Lilah replied, trying to keep the conversation to a minimum.

"Have you seen Angelus today?"

"Does it look like I've been here today?" Lilah snapped sarcastically.

Anya took in Lilah's sarcasm, but wasn't sure what brought it on. "You could've just come back from a meeting. No need to get all bitchy."

Lilah turned her computer and took a sip of coffee as she looked over at Anya, "This isn't bitchy, this is just normal me when I have to talk to vampire groupies who hang outside Angelus' door."

"Hey, I'm not a groupie." Anya denied instantly, "Angelus and I have a mutual respect for each other and are very close if you must know."

"Whatever you say toots."

Anya wasn't sure how to take Lilah's latest comment, "Is that in insult? Cause if it is I'll have to think of one back."

"Don't strain yourself." Lilah laughed, "Can't you wait inside? I'll let you in if it will give me some peace and quiet."

"Angelus has made it very clear that I'm not to go into his office if he's not there. He can get nasty when he's upset, so I'll just wait here with you." Anya noticed Lilah working on her computer so she moved in for a closer look, "Whatcha doing?"

Lilah switched screens and turned to Anya, "I'm working. I know, novel concept to a demon, but I can't do my job with you hovering over my shoulder. So, if you don't mind."

"Actually, I could make your job very easy. Just say the word and I can finish it all for ya." Anya said, ready to use her magic at a moment's notice.

Angelus walked into the room and stormed past both women, opened his office and slammed the door behind him.

"Yikes, looks like you picked the wrong time to visit." Lilah said as she smiled at Anya.

"He's always happy to see me." Anya said as she checked her outfit in the mirror, "So I will go in and brighten his day like always."

"Right, good luck with that." Lilah said as she watched Anya slink her way up to Angelus' door.

"Honey, can I come in?" Anya said with a sexy voice.

"No. Get out and stay out." Angelus screamed.

Anya looked back at Lilah, then continued to knock on the door, "Are ya sure? I can make you feel all better. Come on, let me in and I'll show you."

"I won't say it again Anya." Angelus said in a voice that terrified her to the core.

"Okay then, I'll let you rest for a bit and I'll be back later and we can talk." Anya said to the door and then held her head up high as she walked over to Lilah, "So, did you want to do lunch?"

Lilah looked around before looking at Anya, "Me? Are you crazy? I don't even like you."

"It's just food Lilah, no need to get all defensive." Anya said as she hopped up on Lilah's desk, "I could use the company. I hate eating alone."

"You really have some nerve." Lilah said shaking her head.

"Of course, how else do you get ahead in this business." Anya stated firmly and then leaned in close, "I'm pretty sure a lot of people would say the same about you. I know you eat. How about that new Italian place downtown?"

"You really are something." Lilah said, finding it very awkward to have Anya's lips so close to hers, "Fine, I'll go. They always say keep your enemies close, so why not."

"Excellent!" Anya cheered as she slid off Lilah's desk, "I think this could be the beginning of something special."

"I wouldn't bet on it, but I'm sure we can find something to talk about." Lilah turned off her computer, picked up her briefcase and as Anya put her arm around her, the two women headed towards the elevator.

Angelus was fuming and he wasn't about to hide it. Picking up the phone, he called the private number he was warned not to abuse.

"Angelus, I hope this isn't another call to complain." The voice said.

"I want a portal opened now. I'm getting a little tired of being given the run around by you three. You know I can find another way up there. So, save me the trouble and do it now. This will be my last meeting."

"As you wish." The voice said just as a portal appeared in front of Angelus.

Jumping into the portal, Angelus was transported right back to the large arena.  
"Well, at least it was quick this time. Now, I heard rumor today on my way to the office that says Spike isn't dead after all. Is this true?" Angelus questioned as he paced around the large area.

"Yes, it is true. Does this trouble you?" The tall man asked.

"It sure as hell does." Angelus shouted, "Spike's caused me enough trouble to last a hundred lifetimes. I have this nasty suspicion you are behind his rebirth. If that's true, things are going to get ugly very fast."

The short chubby man stepped forward, "You seem angry Angelus. I don't believe it is with us or with Spike. Something is troubling you deeply and you are lashing out at whomever you can find. You must deal with your inner pain before you can move on."

Angelus could only laugh at the comments as he began climbing up the stairs.

"You must not climb these stairs Angelus. The rules are clear about this. Stop or we will be forced to take action." Said the tall man as he backed up against the wall.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Angelus laughed, "Chubby there is right, I am angry at someone. Myself. But, not for anything you might suspect. In fact, I've never been more clear about anything in my life. I've chosen a new path in life. Yes, that's right, I'm about to reinvent myself in a spectacular fashion."

"You will die before you reach us. Is that what you want?" The tall man asked. "You could do so much if you just showed a little more patience. Destiny awaits those who follow the correct path. If you give up your destiny, everything that was meant for you will become Spike's. Is that what you want?"

"What I want is a challenge. Angelus is no longer a challenge for me. Once I kill you three, I will have nothing left to live for. A new life is all that I seek. Now say your prayers you manipulative bastards, because it's time to die."

Angelus moved up the stairs at the lightning fast pace, dodging thousands of stakes as they whizzed by him from every direction. With the three men alone on the ledge, they tried to cast a spell on Angelus, but it backfired as it reflected back on them with brutal force. The impact of the three separate spells was so great, there was little left of the men as they plummeted hundreds of feet to their certain death.

Climbing back down, Angelus realized the audience had disappeared as soon as the three wise men died, making the trip down much safer. At the bottom he walked over to the three men, unmasked them to see the bodies of demons under their human skin.

Standing at the edge of the stadium, Angelus held out his hands and began chanting.

It was a good ten minutes of incoherent ramblings when a cloaked figure approached from out of nowhere. "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"You predicted this would happen." Angelus said as he walked up to the figure, "Things change. I just never realized this day would actually happen."

The figure led Angelus down an invisible walkway until they stopped at an elevator in the middle of nowhere. They stepped inside. The man pushed a button and then continued, "Life is a funny thing when you walk with the humans on a daily basis. They are a strange and confusing breed and yet for all their flaws, they continue to move forward. You could move forward as one of us if you so wish."

"Do I give up the ring of Amarra?" Angelus asked as he rubbed his precious ring.

"That will be decided by a panel of elders. There is much discussion on this very subject going on at this very moment. Excellent cases are being made pro and con about the ring and if you join us you will get your say in this as well."

"In many ways this ring led me here." Angelus said, still staring at the magical ring,

"Being invincible has been less exciting than I imagined. All the things that made life challenging just disappeared. Every day life has become boring. In all my years, I've never felt this before. I need a new challenge. A new life. I need a soul."

"Angelus, this is a big step for you." Said the man as they stepped out of the elevator, "I have to caution you on what you will be in for. Not everyone will welcome you aboard. To many on our side of the fight, you will always be a vampire. A killer. A thing that should be staked. This will not be easy. Do not forget that a soul will bring pain, agony, torment, regret and more guilt than you can handle. While it may be a noble choice, it will not be an easy one to live with."

"What is this place?" Angelus asked as he looked around at what appeared to be a never-ending room.

"It's the beginning and the end. It's where the next part of your life takes place. Whichever you choose, the path begins here." He said as he continued walking straight ahead.

"I was never big on this destiny mumbo jumbo, so I hope you don't talk like this all the time." Angelus said, constantly looking around for some sign of life around him, but never seeing a thing.

"Destiny can rarely be predicted." The man said with a hearty laugh, "In fact, only a few ancient prophecies have ever come true. However, we are in the middle of perhaps the most important prophecy of all and you will play a big part in it, regardless of which side you are on."

Angelus opened the door and walked through to the other side, shocked to walk into his office at Wolfram & Hart, "Okay, that was freaky, even for me. Why did you bring me here? What is your name anyway? Won't I be leaving this place and go work at some nice pretty white office with happy people everywhere?"

"You have a strange perception of human's still." The man said still laughing, "They are not all happy, sad, nor good nor bad, they are a combination of all these things. Even those on the side of good can stray to the dark side now and again. It's what keeps us on our toes around here. Oh and you can call me Praetos."

"How can you work with humans when you look like that?" Angelus asked, pointing to the man's demon like appearance.

"Ah, but Angelus, this is not the form I take on earth. If you choose to go through this and get a soul, you will not remember this meeting. When we do meet again, it will feel like the first time for you. It's how it must be." Praetos, said as he sat down across from the desk.

"I'm not sure I like that, but I can live with it." Angelus looked out his massive window one last time and then sat back down at his desk, "Okay, I'm ready to do this. Where do I sign?"

Praetos pulled out a contract the size of a dictionary and sat it in front of him, "You might want to get a good lawyer to look at this. There's a lot of small print. It states, among many other things, that if you ever have your soul removed, you will be killed. Make no mistake; this will happen with or without the Ring of Amarra. Second, your memories of Angelus will remain with you. This will be so you can be reminded of the horrible things you've done and also so you have can remain acquaintances of those you've met in your long life. One big clause is vital to remember, you will not kill another human once you sign this. It's strictly forbidden and enforced. Many times you will come across a human who is as despicable, if not more so, then any vampire or demon you've known, but you mustn't kill them. Let the humans take care of all human issues such as this. Lastly and perhaps the hardest clause of all, there will be no contact with humans for the purpose of sexual gratification of any kind. It's not a rule, it's a law and again will be enforced. If you wish to have dalliances with members of your own kind, you may do so at your own leisure. If you have any questions, I suggest you read through this contract thoroughly and ask them before you sign on the dotted line."

"I have no problem with any of those conditions. I never had much luck with human women before, so I can live without that hassle again." Angelus flipped through the contract, but quickly stopped as his eyes growing wide, "Will I be working with the slayers?"

"Let's take things one step at time. I wouldn't rule it out though, but not for some time." Praetos said as he heard a ringing in his ears, "I must go now Angelus, please read this carefully, there are clauses for most everything under the sun and it's imperative you are aware of all of them before you sign this. I hope to see you again soon." Praetos said and then snapped his fingers and disappeared from the room.  
Angelus grabbed the mammoth document and began reading.

End of Chapter 16.

Comments and feedback are quite the motivators. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Sunnydale Park.**

Darla waited patiently at the park bench, checking her watch every minute or so until Harmony got in the way, "This is boring. Are you sure the meeting is for now? Cause I don't see anyone around."

"Maybe you're right." Darla said as she spotted her contact across the park, "Why don't you go get us some coffee and if nobody is here when you get back we'll leave. Fair enough?"

"Sure, although I don't really like coffee, can I get something else?" Harmony asked and then thought of all the other choices, "Ohhh, like a latte or a milkshake or maybe even some lemonade, I love that. Or maybe I could..."

Taking Harmony by the hand, Darla handed Harmony lots of money, "Harmony, take this and get anything you want. You should hurry, I think I see that girl heading towards the lemonade stand."

Harmony took one look and began running towards the girl, turning only to wave at Darla, as she pushed the girl out of the way and ran to the front of the line.

Darla smiled and then walked back to the bench and sat down beside the figure in the large trench coat, "Don't ya think that's a bit conspicuous on a nice warm sunny day?"

"It's best to be cautious." The man said as he shifted his eyes from side to side, "Do you have what I want?"

"Yes, but it may not be as useful as we thought." Darla handed the man an envelope

"I hope this is what I think it is." He said as he slid open the envelope and pulled out a picture and a couple pieces of paper.

"Yes, it's what you asked for, although I have no idea why." Darla said as she took the money from the man and slipped it into her bra.

"Excellent. I knew they knew each other. This is perfect." The man pulled down his look and looked over at Darla. "By the way, do you know if Tara was in school today?"

"Principal Snyder, you know I can't talk about Tara with you. She asked me not to."

"Shhhh." He said, scolding Darla yet again as he pulled up his hood, "No names."

"Um, yes sir." Darla said, holding in her laugh.

"Tara is missing way too many classes lately and I need to find out what's going on with her. Could you at least try and keep an eye on her for me?" Snyder asked in his best attempt at sounding sincere.

Darla hated being in such an awkward position, "Mr. Snyder, I just told you I can't betray Tara's trust. I will say she's doing fine and if she skipped class it wasn't for anything bad."

"Okay, that's all I wanted to know." He said and then got to his feet and slinked away.

Harmony returned with her lemonade as principal Snyder crossed the street, "Who were you meeting?"

"Oh nobody important." Darla said and quickly got up and took Harmony in a different direction,  
"So, when was the last time you saw Tara?"

"I don't know, probably last Friday at your party. Why?"

Darla acted nonchalant, "Someone was looking for her that's all."

"Isn't she coming to the big college party on Friday?" Harmony asked, wondering if Darla was losing it.

"Yes, as far as I know, but I haven't seen her since Friday. Have you?"

"I guess I haven't. What's going on?" Harmony stopped walking and turned serious, "I may be slow, but I'm not as dumb as I look, is Tara in some kind of trouble?"

Darla pulled Harmony into an alley, "I honestly don't know, but I'm starting to get worried about her. She hasn't been in school all week and the last I saw of her, she was with this guy at the party. He looked a bit creepy to me, but I didn't want to say anything to her. Then when I went to check on her later, she was gone."

"I know the guy she was with!" Harmony said. Her voice filled with excitement. "Well, I know his name, I don't know him personally, but Tara introduced me to him. I'm pretty sure his name was Lindsay. Don't know his last name. He wasn't that tall and he didn't stand out at all, except he did sing for her and I know she loved that."

"Yes, I remember now. He hit on me early on, but I had no idea he was with Tara." Darla said as she began to remember more of the party, "Lindsay also spent a lot of time talking to that tall, good looking guy Gunn. I need to get to LA. There's someone I have to talk to."

"What? Not again. You and your trips. Sometimes you get so secretive and take off for days on end. What is it you're not telling me?" Harmony said with a whiny voice, then as if she'd been hit with a light bulb, "OMG, you're a narc aren't you? You know, one of those undercover drug cops who sneak into schools to break up the big drug ring? That's it. I knew it."

"I'm not a narc Harmony. I hope that helps." Darla said with a laugh, "I have family in LA and I visit them now and then."

"Fine, don't tell me." Harmony said as she turned to hide her disappointment, "I would never tell anyone, I wish you knew that. I wish you trusted me even a little."

Darla put her hands on Harmony's shoulders and turned her around, "Harmony, we've shared a lot together over the years. I think you'd agree almost all of it has been fun. Why would I do that if I didn't care? Don't make a big deal out of this, please."

"I can't help it. You do this all the time. Take off and never tell me a thing. It's fine, I'll get over it. I always do." Harmony said, trying to stay calm, but just had to add one more thing, "I know I can be kind of silly and say dumb things, but have I ever told one of your secrets? Have I ever done a thing to show you I can't be trusted? I don't think I have. So yes, it does hurt that you still can't tell me where you go or why."

"Oh Harmony, I wish I could tell you more, but I can't, at least not now, but maybe one day." Darla put her arms around Harmony and hugged her tight, "It's not about not trusting you though, that's not even an issue for me. I do trust you and one day you will understand. I'm sorry, but it can't be today."

"I said I was fine. Good old Harmony just smiles and does as she's told. Yep, that's me." Harmony said with biting sarcasm, "Well, I guess I should get home then. You do need to pack I'm sure."

"I wish we could leave on a happier note than this. Is there anything I can do to make things better?" Darla said as she leaned in close and lifted Harmony's chin up, "Anything at all?

Harmony could never resist Darla's sweet yet seductive ways and as she gazed into her hypnotic blue-green eyes she put her hands up Darla's neck, held her tightly and kissed her hard as she pushed her against the alley wall.

Kissing wasn't new for these two either and it showed in how quickly they fell into each other's arms, mouths locked together as they kissed harder and deeper.

Darla pulled back, her eyes filled with surprise, "Why did you do that?"

"You know why. I never wanted us to break up." Harmony said, still holding Darla's tiny waist,  
"Take me with you."  
  
"I can't." Darla said breathlessly as she turned away.

"I know you can." Harmony said, spinning Darla around and pushing her back up against the wall. "I can see it in your eyes that you want to. I can feel it in your touch. I know you so well Darla. Let's forget the past. I have. Please, take me with you."

With her head spinning with thoughts of what she should do and what she wanted to do, Darla stood against the wall unable to think straight, "Okay, you can come, but only if you don't ask any questions."

Harmony's excitement couldn't be contained as she jumped into Darla's arms, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I know we're going to have fun. I don't care why you're going, I'm just so happy right now."

"You have no idea how much trouble I made for myself." Darla said with a long sigh, "But, since you're coming, we better go get packed."

**The Bronze**

Riley walked into The Bronze and made his way through the crowded dance floor, looking for Jenny as he sat down at an empty booth.  
The music was loud, the lights were dim and the mood was certainly upbeat as Riley scanned the dance floor closer.  
At the back of the club Jenny had her arms around an attractive blonde woman and they were dancing cheek to cheek as if they were the only two people in the room.

As much as he was enjoying the show, Riley also had a schedule to keep so he got up, made his way towards Jenny, stopped inches from her and stood still.

Jenny didn't notice Riley at all, but her friend did and tapped Jenny on the ass to get her attention.  
Looking over at Riley she quickly stopped dancing and looked at her watch, "Oh shit. I'm so sorry Riley. I lost track of time."

"I see that." Riley said with a nod as he looked over at the blonde woman and then back at Jenny, "It looks like you're having a good time. Maybe we should meet later.

"No, I'm ready now." Jenny said quickly, "Oh and this is my friend Kate."

"It's nice to meet you." Riley said, taking a long look at Kate.

"Yes, nice to meet you Riley." Kate said and then looked over at Jenny remembering her earlier conversation about Claire Riley, "I'll leave you two to your meeting. I'll call you later Jenny. Bye."

Jenny wanted to rush after her, but could only wave bye as Kate left the club.  
Riley moved back to his booth and Jenny followed close behind.

"Well then, shall we begin?" Riley asked as he sat his briefcase on the small table.

"Yes, I'm ready." Jenny pulled out two envelopes full of pictures and handed them to Riley, "These are all the copies of what I took for the mayor as well some others that I thought you'd be more interested in."

Sorting through the pictures, Riley tossed most everyone aside, but did pull one out and give it a second look, "Do you have more of her?"

Jenny looked at the picture he was holding, checked the name on the back, opened her purse and checked the other envelopes, eventually pulling out two more pictures for Riley.

"This is good. I want pictures of everybody Darla talks to from now on." Riley ordered and then slipped the photos into his briefcase. "She is not a student at Sunnydale."

"What do you mean? Most every picture I have of her is at or around the school." Jenny said, confused as to what Riley knew that she didn't.

Looking through the rest of the pictures Riley once again stopped and held one up to Jenny, "Have you seen this man around the school lately?" he said, holding up a picture of Lindsay McDonald.

"Yes, from what I've seen, he seems to be passing himself off as some movie executive in town to recruit beautiful young women for his next movie." Jenny paused as Riley started laughing, "I take it he's not some movie exec? Who is he?"

"He's a pest; a pest that needs to be controlled." Riley squeezed his can of beer until it was little more than dust, "He's the worst kind of vermin, the human kind, a hotshot lawyer on the fast track to fame and fortune. Only trouble is, he joined the wrong firm and now is knee deep in corruption. I need to find out what he's recruiting these young girls for. Chances are it's not just for his own personal use and that is not good news for any of them."

Hoping to make up for being late for the meeting, Jenny decided to try to make up for that, "I'm sure have your own people, but I do know a PI if you want someone to look into this for you."

"That's kind of you to offer Jenny, but I don't like to mix business with pleasure. It never seems to work out. I'm sure Kate's very good at her job." Riley added, watching Jenny's face as she tried to hide her surprise.

"Oh, do you know Kate?"

"I know a lot of things. I like to keep up on all the players." Riley sipped his drink slowly and watched Jenny's reaction carefully. "Don't worry, I'm not spying on you. In fact I had no idea the two of you knew each other until I saw you dancing together."

"Right, about that, is it going to a problem?" Jenny asked, taking a long drink from her glass of wine.

"What's that? That you were dancing with her or that you know her?"

Jenny smiled, "Both?"

"Ah, well you can rest at ease; I have no problem with either." Riley added quickly, "I hope I don't have to caution you that the work you do with me is not for her ears or anyone else's. That, I would have a problem with."

"Yes of course. I'd never do that." Jenny said sincerely.

"Good, then we should get along just fine. I have to be going now so I hope you have a fun night dancing. I'll be in touch." Riley picked up his briefcase, slid an envelope in front of Jenny and walked out of the Bronze.

Jenny picked up the envelope, smiled as she saw the nice wad of cash inside, slipped it into her purse and ran out of the club to find Kate.

**Buffy Summers house.**

Buffy walked into the living room to see Willow and Xander working away at the computer, while Wes, Giles and the mayor were talking in the kitchen and Dawn was in the living room watching TV.

Willow turned as she heard Buffy come into the room, "Hi, how's Fred doing?"

"She's doing much better now. I think a good night's rest should be all she needs." Buffy said as she sat down beside them, "How's your searching coming?"

"Pretty damn impressive if I do say so myself." Xander said proudly and then handed Buffy the countless sheets of paper they'd printed out already.

"Impressive is right." Buffy nodded, flipping through the pages until she spotted one on Marisella.  
"Did you guys read any of this? Sure would save me some time."

"Read? You wanted us to read it to?" Xander said with an exaggerated gasp, "Must've been a mix up, I just hit the print key. Maybe Willow did, although she was the search girl, so I doubt it."

"Willow?"

Willow shook her head no, "Sorry, I was trying to get as much printed out as we could."

"That's okay, I need to learn all I can about this race, especially Marisella." Buffy took the printouts, walked into the living room and sat beside Dawn.

"Hey, what's that stuff? Can I help?" Dawn asked as she leaned over to see what Buffy was reading.

"Not now Dawn. Go play in your room." Buffy said dismissively.

"No, I'm not 6 and besides, I was watching TV, so you go away." Dawn pushed Buffy away from her and turned back to the TV.

"Stop being a brat." Buffy said as she grabbed the remote from Dawn.

"Give it back. Give it." Dawn tried to pull it from her sister's hands, but she simply was no match in strength, got mad and got up from the couch. She turned towards Buffy as she walked past the cage on the ground, giving her one last dirty look as she walked towards the stairs.

"Nice ass." Sigmund said with a smile.

Dawn bent down and looked inside the cage, seeing what she thought was a cute little pet, she opened the cage and let Sigmund out.

Sigmund slid under Dawn's legs and as it looked back up at her, his eyes glued to her super tight jeans, "Wow, I have to say it again, nice ass sweetheart."

All five people turned to see who had just said that and came rushing into the room as Dawn knelt down and picked up Sigmund, "Aren't you a cute little guy."

Buffy got up and walked over to Dawn, "Cute? Hello, that thing made a crude comment about you. It's not cute."

"Oh it was a compliment, geez, he said it was nice or did you miss that part?" Dawn explained as she played with Sigmund.

"See, it was nice blondie, so get lost." Sigmund said as he rubbed up against Dawn's chest.

"Why you little..." before she could finish Buffy had pulled Sigmund off Dawn and was about to toss him out the door when Wesley came a running.

"Wait." He bellowed as he ran up to Buffy, "May I please take the little brat? I'm so sorry for his offensive language."

"Why are you getting all upset? He's cute and I like him. So, if he goes I go." Dawn said, snapping Sigmund from Buffy's grip.

"Dawn, give him back." Buffy said, moving closer to Dawn.

"If I may...." Wesley said as he jumped in between the sister's, "Sigmund is rarely friendly to anyone, if it's at all possible, I'd like to see how it interacts with Dawn."

Buffy gave Wesley a dumfounded look, "Are you crazy, that little piece of rock was checking out my sister's ass, I don't want it anywhere near her. You created this thing?"

"Well yes I did, but somehow his language program went astray." Wesley said with his usual embarrassed look, "It seems as though he learned most of his phrases from TV. Anyway, he is harmless and he seems to be happy and for some odd reason Dawn enjoys his company, so, perhaps it would do them both good."

"Yes, I really want to keep him. Please, I'll teach him some new words, maybe some manners. Well?" Dawn said staring right at Buffy.

"I don't know. I can't say I feel good leaving you alone with this foul mouthed thing." Buffy said, looking around the room to see everyone staring back at her, and with a quick look at Sigmund, she turned back to Dawn, "Fine, but if he mentions your ass one more time, I swear..."

Sigmund snuck it's head out from under Dawn's arms, "You swear what little girl? That you'll use all that 95 pounds of girlyness to beat me up? I'm so scared. Why don't you just go to..."

Dawn covered Sigmund's mouth, "Would you shut up for one second. Do you want to go back in the cage?"

Sigmund shook his head no.

"Well, you better learn a new word right now. Say sorry to Buffy." Dawn demanded and then uncovered his mouth.

"I guess I'm supposed to say sorry. So um, sorry." Sigmund said, doing his best not to add anything else.

"Thank you Sigmund." Buffy said with a slight grin and then looked up at Dawn, "Okay, you can keep him. But, only on a trial basis."

Dawn put her arms around Buffy and hugged her as she jumped up and down.

Sigmund, caught in the middle of the two girl's chests, looked first at Dawn's and then at Buffy's, "Yummy, what a nice soft place to sleep. I could get used to this."

Putting her hand over Sigmund's mouth, Dawn grinned, knelt down, picked up his cage and ran upstairs.

Buffy walked over to Wesley, "You better hope that little creature doesn't corrupt my little sister or you're going to have a very angry slayer on your hands."

"I will keep an eye on Sigmund and make sure he stays in line. I promise." Wesley said, doing his best to assure Buffy that all was well, "On to more important things, have you found anything more on the Glascoph's?"

"That's what I was trying to do when your little friend started making wisecracks about my sister." Buffy said as she walked back over, sat down and with Wes, Giles and the mayor all standing around, she handed them each a couple sheets of the printouts and then began reading a few herself.

After they had finished all the reading, they got together in the kitchen to compare notes.

Buffy looked around the table and with nobody speaking up, began to talk, "Okay, here's what I've learned about queen Millicent. According to your records, she was the second queen of the Glascoph's. Her reign lasted 2,000 years. She took Marisella as her lover 200 years into her reign and they stayed together until Millicent's death at the hands of a Deparis death squad."

Giles removed his glasses and began reading from his piece of paper, "I found something interesting here. It's a brief history of the Glascoph's." Giles stood up as he began reading.

"They were a unique science oriented demon race, content on living off their own land and rarely interacting with other species. Virtually hidden in the center of a cluster of stars deep within the Orion nebula, they lived a quiet existence until a Deparis scouting vessel discovered them. 2 years later, the Deparis annihilated the Glascoph's.

A unique demon race, with an even more unique physiology. 95% demon, 5% human, making them the only demon race of it's kind.

While it's unclear how the first Glascoph was created, the link between Cleopatra, and Emarella, before she became the first queen of the Glascoph's, is undeniable. It is also said that their union forged their new race.

The Glascoph's, blessed with above average intelligence, superior willpower and longevity, still had only one known demon power were. Their only known power was the ability to morph into other entities as well as other objects; the very deadly side effect of this power is that overuse results in a permanent drain on their life-force.

Millicent, Marisella and a team of scouts began searching for another inhabitable planet soon after they destroyed the Deparis scouts. Knowing they had been exposed meant their whole way of life had been permanently altered.

Landing on earth was a last resort, with Millicent intrigued by rumors of the goddess Aphrodite, she sought to meet her and discuss a solution for her people. Unfortunately for Millicent, Aphrodite had been dead for thousands of years by the time she arrived.

Still, earth was compatible for Millicent's people, so she chose to leave Marisella in London with a charming upper class family, after spending a couple months learning the human way of life.  
Back on Carravella, Millicent readied her people for battle.

When faced with a Deparis army that was twice their size, they still managed to weather the first wave of attacks, but with most of her people slaughtered, Millicent sent the surviving members on a shuttle in hopes of finding a new planet to inhabit.

Alone and facing thousands of troops, she put up a valiant fight, morphing in and out of plants, rock and even into Deparis troops, her life-force faded away and she was killed by a Deparis leader called Actri, who then became ruler of Carravella, which he renamed, Actrovious."

Visibly angered by what she'd just heard, Buffy was quick to react, "Okay, I don't like these Deparis demons at all. We need to learn more about them to and fast."

"Yes, I agree, but before we do you all should hear this." the mayor said as he read his portion of the printouts. "Marisella's history is sketchy at best. Here's what we have pieced together.

Marisella was said to have become head of a wealthy mining family, amassing a fortune by the late 1800's. Since her demon genetic makeup prevented her from having children, she searched out other ways to keep the Glascoph's history alive.

It is said she met up with the renowned British scientist Daniel Manning in the late 1960's. With her advanced knowledge of science, she was able to help speed up his research into genetics, DNA and molecular biology, which in turn helped her discover a way to systematically change her own DNA structure and her gene cell patterns enough that her body was physically able to have a child. Indeed, she did give birth to a baby girl in the summer of 1973.

While it was generally assumed that Dr. Manning was the father of the child, upon further study, it was believed that Marisella developed the donor sample on her own.  
Marisella gave the child up for adoption that same year, fearing repercussions if she didn't. The family that adopted her was Elizabeth and Keith Raiden.

The Raiden's moved to Los Angeles in 1975. They had a daughter of their own in 1981. After numerous claims of neglect and child endangerment, they sent Gwen to the Thorpe Academy for scientific study. Then, after sending their adopted daughter Lilah to a foster home, they left the country and fled to England.

A loving home on the east coast raised Lilah and had her name permanently changed to Lilah Morgan.

Gwen Raiden escaped the Thorpe Academy when she was 13. Her whereabouts are unknown at this time.  
Lilah Morgan is currently working for the law firm Wolfram & Hart in Los Angeles. There seems to be some pages missing in the history, but this is a good place to start."  
  
"Wolfram and Hart?" Wesley asked at the top of his lungs, "This is not good. If Marisella somehow got mixed up with the wrong people, she could become a serious threat to all of us."

Giles got up and pulled out his cell phone, "Obviously we need to get moving here. I'm going to call the head office and have our research staff look into all of this as thoroughly as possible until we have every piece of information we need to move forward."

"Well, we know how Marisella has a connection to this Lilah Morgan, what we still don't know is how Fred is connected to Millicent. It has to be here somewhere. There's something missing. I know it. I can feel it." Buffy said, looking up towards her room and thinking of Fred as she did.

"Right then, I'll get back to my office and get some people to look into Lilah and Gwen and I'll let you know when I find something." The mayor said, getting up from his chair and waving goodbye as he left.

"Buffy, you should take a look at this." Willow said, motioning towards her computer screen.

End of Chapter 17.

Feedback and comments welcome and appreciated at 


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 **

**Sunnydale Airport: Private Hangar.**

Faith got off the mayor's jet and started walking towards the limo. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something or someone peek out from the rear of the car. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere wasn't the best place to be for an ambush, so Faith decided to be the aggressor and ran full speed towards the limo, took a huge leap up and over the roof, landing on the other side.

Ready to attack, Faith quickly recoiled as she spotted an attractive blonde woman standing up from her kneeling position, "Um, hi there. You must be Faith."  
"And you shouldn't be hiding behind my car should you?" Faith said as she moved in close and started frisking the woman.

"Oh, I didn't expect this." She said as Faith slid her hands up and down the woman's curvy body. "Feel free to check every inch of my body, but when you're done, I will say I do have a gun in my purse. Yes, I have a permit for it."

Faith found herself enjoying being in control as the woman put up no resistance to her wandering hands, "Why don't you start by telling me who you are and why you are here?"  
"By all means." She said as she slowly reached for her purse, "I'm just getting my ID. I'm not stupid enough to try anything with a slayer."

"You seem to know who I am and that makes me very uncomfortable. I get edgy when that happens. Make bad decisions." Faith said as she held onto the woman's waist as she reached into her purse, "So you might want to hurry the explanation part up a tad."

Pulling out her ID, she handed it to Faith.  
"Kate Lockley, Private Investigator. Well, isn't that special." Faith said as she looked over the ID, "Who hired you and why?"

"I wouldn't be a very good PI if I gave up my employer that fast." Kate said, putting her hand over Faith's as she took back her ID. "I can say that I'm not here to hurt you or cause you any problems. I'm here to deliver you a message."  
"I'm listening."

Kate put her ID back in her purse and looked back at Faith, "I am supposed to let you know that a friend of yours, Gwen Raiden, is being held..."  
"You can stop right there. I've been to see Gwen. That's where I came from." Faith said with a disappointed glare, "I guess you aren't very good at your job."

"Oh, I'm good. I'm damn good." Kate said defensively, "If you've seen Gwen then my job is done."  
"I guess so, but what if I had another job for you? Are you interested?" Faith asked, as she opened up the back seat of her limo and motioned for Kate to have a seat.

"Thank you." Kate said with a smile as she slid into the backseat, "I'll listen to any job offer."

Faith followed and sat across from Kate, "Good, I need some information on the person who hired you, Lilah Morgan. Gwen tells me she's her sister, but she never mentioned her before. It just seems a little suspicious. If she's telling the truth, then I can rest easier. If she isn't, I need to know what her game is." Faith then knocked on the glass separator and the driver rolled it down, "Take us the Summers house."

"I'm not sure I want this case. I've known Lilah for over a year and I don't feel right doing something behind her back." Kate said as she pulled out her notebook and then sat it down beside her, "Can't you just ask her about all this?"

"I could, but I'm not a lie detector am I, so until I know something for sure, I won't feel good knowing Lilah has Gwen's fate in her hands. My gut tells me Lilah is for real, but I can't leave something this big to chance." Faith said, grabbing herself a drink from the cooler, "Look, if you can't do it then give me the name of someone who can."

"Sorry, I can't help you with that. If you have another job offer I would be happy to take it in place of this." Kate said, helping herself to a bottle of water.  
"If you aren't in a hurry you could come with me to my friends house, it's possible she has something you could do."

Kate took a sip and nodded her head yes, "I'm all yours."  
Faith smiled and sat back against the soft leather, "So, do you know Lilah personally or just professionally?"

"Mostly just professionally, but we have been out for drinks a few times." Kate replied as studied the young slayer's every move, "She's very serious at work, but she's much different when she let's her hair down, it just doesn't happen very often."

"She seemed pretty high strung to me." Faith said, returning Kate's constant eye contact, "Are you looking at something?"  
Kate shifted her eyes for a moment, but returned and continued, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just wondering how old you were? You seem too young to be a slayer."

"You keep calling me a slayer?" Faith said as she leaned forward and hopped over beside Kate, "I never said I was a slayer. Is there something you should be telling me?"

"No, I mean, I'm a PI, I know things. It's my job." Kate said, sliding a few inches to the side, "After Lilah told me to find you I did some digging. It's not hard to find information if you know who to ask. Word gets out fast when a new slayer hits town and there is a huge buzz about you and Buffy. It's not exactly a secret."

"You sure are a fast talker." Faith said as she put her hand on Kate's shoulder and pulled her close, "Why don't you tell me what the buzz is about me and Buffy?"

"As you'd expect, the demons and vamps are scared, but they all seem to know there is something different about you and Buffy. Many of them mentioned a prophecy that could end up destroying them all, so yeah, they're a bit freaked out by what they call the chosen ones."

"Tell me Kate, which side are you on?" Faith asked, enjoying the fact she was making Kate nervous, "All's I see if an opportunist who'll take money from anyone. Is that accurate?"

"It's partially accurate." Kate said with a slight grin, "I guess I'm on the side of good, but it's not like I can spend days, weeks and months investigating everyone who has a case for me. I take a job, I do it and then I move on. It's not like I'm helping someone kidnap babies."

Faith felt the car stop and she knew they were, "Well, this is my stop. Why don't ya come in and say hi to Buffy?"  
"I don't think I should." Kate said as she moved to get out of the car.  
"I insist." Faith said, grabbing Kate's arm and helping her out of the car, "It won't take but a minute."

Kate looked down at Faith's hand firmly wrapped around her wrist, "I don't seem to have much of a choice."  
"Don't be silly, we all make choices." Faith let go of Kate's arm and put her hands up on her shoulders, "If you want to take off, feel free."

Pausing to weigh her options, she decided it might be good to meet the other slayer, "No, I'm happy to meet your friends. Lead on."  
"After you." Faith said with a smile as she nudged Faith towards the front door.

"You're too kind." Kate said with a big fake smile as she walked up and stood in front of Buffy's house.

Faith stopped in front and knocked on the door.

Kate stopped and gave her a curious look, "You have to knock?"  
"Well yes, it's not my house."

"Still, I thought you and the slayer were friends?" Kate said as the door opened.  
Dawn answered with Sigmund in her arms, "Hi Faith, come in. Who's your friend?"

"She's not really a friend; she's more of an acquaintance I just met. I want her to meet Buffy. Is she around?"

"Yes, she's in with the others reading over some history of something." Dawn let them in and closed the door behind her.

"Wow, nice sweater blondie." Sigmund said, staring right at Kate's tight sweater.  
"Um, thanks, I think." Kate said, looking down at the strange creature.

"Sigmund, behave or it's the cage. Remember?" Dawn said as she held him up in front of her."  
"Yes Dawn." Sigmund muttered, "But, if I can't be me, maybe I should be back in the cage."

"Oh don't say that. But, can't you look up subtle and try some of that next time?" Dawn said as she petted her little friend.

"Subtle sucks. I like to be honest and say what's on my mind. Most people, well, some people, well, I like it anyway." Sigmund said, as he blatantly stared at both Kate and Faith

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with you." Dawn said with a sigh.  
Buffy came into the living room to see what the commotion was, "Hi Faith, I'm glad you're back. Who's your friend?"

"This is Kate. She's a private investigator. She's good. She found me." Faith said as she looked over at Kate.  
"Hi Buffy, it's nice to meet you." Kate said, shaking Buffy's hand, "I've heard a lot about the two of you."

"Have you now?" Buffy asked, already suspicious.

"You two both think alike, I can see that." Kate walked past Buffy, took a peak into the kitchen to see Willow, Xander, Giles and Wesley all hard at work on something and then turned back to Buffy, "I'm not the enemy. Really, I was asked to find Faith so I asked around. Just because I talked to some demons and vamps doesn't mean I work with them."

"No, but it doesn't help." Faith said as she went to grab Kate's purse.  
"Wait." Buffy put her hand on Faith's and smiled, "Maybe we shouldn't do that, at least not yet."

"You are way too trusting and it's gonna burn you one day." Faith removed her hand from Kate's purse and walked past Buffy and into the kitchen.

"Thank you." Kate said softly.

"Don't thank you me just yet." Buffy said as she helped Kate over to a chair and helped sit her down, "If I find out you are working against us, I will hand you over to Faith myself. She's got a nasty temper when she feels betrayed."

"What is this?" Kate asked as she looked up at Buffy. "Good cop, bad cop? I used to be a cop, so if you're trying to scare me it's not gonna work."

"It's neither." Buffy said bluntly and then sat down beside Kate, "I don't know how much you know about demons, vamps and all that fun stuff, but we have situation to deal with and we do not need to be worrying about people like you working both sides of the fence."

"God, what do you want? A blood oath?" Kate asked sarcastically.  
"Actually, that wouldn't hurt." Buffy kept a straight face as long as she could, but once Kate started to look nervous, Buffy couldn't help but laugh, "I was just kidding okay? But, the sentiment I like. If you are going to get in the middle of this battle, and I do mean battle, you're going to get hurt. I don't know if you are clueless or what, but if you keep asking questions to demons and vamps, you're gonna end up dead or worse. Maybe you just like the rush so much you don't care, but I do."  
Kate wasn't sure how to respond and took a long time thinking of what to say.  
"Silence is your answer?" Buffy said as she stood up in frustration, "Fine, just go. Let the PI's fall where they may. Good luck, you're gonna need it."

"I see you share the same impatience gene that Faith does." Kate snapped, "I'm not working against you. I didn't even know either of you until 30 minutes ago. I'm not some evil bad guy you have to watch out for. I actually came here because Faith said you might be able to use my special skills."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry if I was out of line, but there is a lot on the line right now." Buffy said, taking it down a notch, "I do have some things I need looked into. I'm not sure they are in your field of expertise."  
"Why is that?"

"They are more of a supernatural type problem." Buffy stumbled as she tried to find the right words, "It's not your average case; that I do know."  
"Just tell me about it. I'm pretty good at what I do and have many sources in the demon world."

"That's just it. I don't want to alert anyone about what we're trying to find out." Buffy said as she relaxed and sat back down, "Since this could affect all demons, I'm not so sure they would be trusted to keep quiet."  
"Okay, so it means I have to do more of the work myself. It might take longer, but I can promise to do my best." Kate got to her feet, "It's up to you if you want to hire me."

"Just one second. I need to run this past the boss man, since he'll be paying you." Buffy said and then walked into the kitchen and pulled Giles aside, "Hey, I want to hire this girl to do some investigating for us. Are you okay with that?"  
"It's not how we do things. We have our own people to do much the same thing." Giles asked as he took a peek at Kate, "Why do you think she can find what we need?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a good feeling about her." Buffy smiled as she made her case, "I think she's good at what she does, she seems strong, fearless and most of all willing to help."  
"I'll trust your judgment for now. Give her something small to work on first, let's make sure she's as good as you think and can be trusted before we send on her something really important.

"That sounds fair." Buffy agreed, "What should we send her on? Looking deeper into Millicent or Marisella's history? Maybe she could trace Fred's history and see if anything unusual has happened to her?"

"That sounds good. Let's start her on something human first. Maybe she can find something out about Fred that we don't know." Giles said as he started feeling comfortable with the idea of a PI.

"I'll go tell her." Buffy said and then walked back into the living room, "Hi, well we have something you can do for us."  
"Good, give me some details and I'll get right on it." Kate took her trusty pad and pen and waited.

"We need you to look into the past of a girl named Winifred 'Fred' Burkle. She was born in a small town in Texas in 1978. We just want to know if anything out of the ordinary has happened to her. Maybe a list of her close friends or neighbors. Anyone doctor's who had contact with her. Just anything you think is strange or different."

"That sounds easy enough." Kate said as she put away her pen and paper, "I can get started right away. I will need an expense account for airfare, accommodations and food while I'm on the case."  
"No problem." Buffy said as she walked Kate to the door, "Actually, you can probably use the mayor's jet. I'll get Giles to go over the details with you before you go."

"Thanks, I won't disappoint." Kate said and then waited for Buffy to bring Giles over.  
"Giles will go with you to the airport and arrange everything you need along the way." Buffy said as she showed them both to the door.

**Ferdinand's Italian Restaurant Downtown Los Angeles.**

Anya sat back in her chair watching Lilah sipping her wine, "You have the most elegant cheekbones I've ever seen. I bet you used to model."

"Only to pay my way through college, but yes I did model for a bit." Lilah looked back at Anya, lounging lazily against the soft smooth leather, her tight dress hugging her in all the right places. "I love that dress."

"Really? I'm not so sure." Anya said as she got to her feet and stood in front of a side mirror, "I saw it on a friend of mine, but I see now it was meant for her. She's taller and it flows better off her long legs."

"I don't know about her, but I know what I see and it looks just fine on you." Lilah said, standing up and moving behind Anya. Leaning over her shoulder, she looked in the mirror, "I'm not sure what you look for in a dress then, because this one works for you."

Anya spun around and looked up at the taller girl, "I like a dress that I couldn't wear home to my parent's, but would look hot at all the clubs, so hot it borders on slutty. I want people to notice it as soon as I walk in a room. I love that attention and it turns me on so much to have all those eyes on me at once."

"Well, you really know what you like." Lilah said as she looked into Anya's playful eyes, "And what do you like right now?"

"Oh, you don't want to know." Anya said as she slid her hand up inside Lilah's vest, "Are you sure you want me to show you?"  
Lilah waited until Anya's hand had reached her breasts and pulled back, "I think maybe we've had too many drinks." Lilah said, her heart racing a mile a minute.

Anya watched Lilah take her seat, but followed and sat down on her lap, "I thought we were just getting started? What's wrong?"  
"Nothing. I just felt a little light headed for a moment." Lilah took a drink of water and held the glass up against her cheeks to cool her off.

"Oh, that's too bad. I was really starting to enjoy myself. Should I go?" Anya asked as she stood up and walked back to her side of the booth.  
"No, don't go." Lilah said as she leaned forward, "Aren't you with Angelus or Drusilla or both?"

"Is that what you're worried about?" Anya asked, almost relieved to hear the question, "Don't be. We have an understanding. Besides, Angelus has been so moody lately I have a sense he's about to explode and I don't want to be anywhere around when that happens. As for Drusilla, we're old, old, old friends and enjoy each others company, but we aren't exclusive."

"Well, that's not the only thing." Lilah said, as she took another long drink of cold water, "I need to ask you about a girl named Gwen. I believe you helped put her in some mental institution."

Anya sat right up, "Why are you asking me about this? It's classified information. You shouldn't even know about it."  
"I do know about it and I want to know why you did this to an innocent girl."

"Innocent? Do you have a clue who we're talking about? Gwen Raiden may have been young, but innocent she wasn't." Anya put her feet up on the table and took a long look into Lilah's eyes, "So tell me Lilah, just who is this Gwen to you?"  
"That's not important." Lilah replied and then looked anywhere but into Anya's eyes, "I found out you were part of some plot to seduce a minor and I didn't like it."

"I don't believe you and now you're making me very unhappy with all these questions." Anya crawled across the table and pulled Lilah close, "Somebody better tell me what's going on before I get very angry."

"Stop it." Lilah said, pushing Anya away, "It's my job to see that nobody brings attention to Wolfram & Hart and let me tell you this, there are a lot of people asking about this Gwen person and I am trying to get to the bottom of it."

"You're lying." Anya said, her voice loud and her demeanor changing from sexy to pissed off in a matter of minutes, "Now it's my turn to start asking some questions. What is your connection to Gwen Raiden? I will find out, but better it come from you while I'm still in a relatively good mood."

"No, I am asking you what you did to this girl. Now tell me." Lilah yelled and then got up from her chair and walked over to Anya, "Did you have sex with Gwen?"  
"Aren't we acting a wee bit jealous?" Anya smiled, as she looked up at Lilah, strangely curious as to her sudden offensive.

"I'm not jealous you bitch, I'm her sister." Lilah blurted it out before she knew it and then leaned down and put her hands around Anya's neck, "There, now you know. So answer me, did you have sex with my sister?"

"Slow down big momma." Anya said as she pulled Lilah's hands away from her neck, "Don't we have a temper? Not that I owe you any explanation for anything I do, but no I did not have sex with Gwen. I seduced her yes, but it was nothing more than a little flirtation to get the job done."

"Oh but you did kiss her?" Lilah asked as she took a seat beside Anya.  
"Yes, we kissed a little."  
"A little?"

"Okay, maybe a lot, but I was doing a job." Anya sat up and grabbed her glass of wine, "I don't usually say this, but I'm sorry for kissing her. If I had known she was your sister at the time...well, I probably still would've done it, but now that I know you a bit, I would've found another way to get the job done. Okay?"

"I guess so, but I do want her released from that facility." Lilah said, wanting to take advantage of Anya's moment of reflection.

"I can look into it, but your sister is highly sought after by the higher ups, I'm not so sure they'll be willing to let her go. You might need a bargaining chip, something to trade for her release. That's usually how things work around here."

"That's fine." Lilah said, slowly feeling at ease again, "I've got my fair share of bargaining chips. Do you have enough pull to get me a meeting?"

Anya slid over beside Lilah, put her hand over hers, "I might be able to work something out, but what's in it for me?"  
"I don't know; what does a thousand year old demon want?"

"I'm not sure you can give me what I want." Anya said, sliding backwards as she looked into Lilah's eyes, "I'm not big on rejection and I just can't read you right now."

"If it's sex you want, well, I can do that."

"Oh god, it's just not the same now. The mood's shot." Anya sighed and grabbed the bottle of wine, "Why did you have to bring up Gwen anyway? You have no idea what you are missing out on."  
"I'm sure we can work something else out. Besides, it might be good for you to have a friend; that you haven't slept with that is." Lilah said with a big laugh.

"Very funny. She makes jokes to. How nice." Anya gulped down the rest of the wine and tossed the bottle into the bucket, "Well, I guess the dinner is over. I need to get back to the firm, you need a ride?"

"Sure, but are you arranging that meeting for me or...?"  
"I might as well, but you will owe me." Anya said, deflated, but still smiling as she walked with Lilah to the door.

End of Chapter 18.  
  
Feedback is welcome at 


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19.**

**Lindsey McDonald's Apartment in Downtown LA.**

Lindsey stood looking out the window of his penthouse apartment, staring out into the clear blue sky, seemingly at peace, but the constant clock watching was a sure sign something was about to go down.

Sure enough, his cell was ringing right on time.

"Lindsey, we need to talk." The voice demanded.

"That's what phones are for. So get talking." Lindsey said, looking out across his balcony at the sexy neighbor lady who was taking her nightly stroll.

"Don't give me attitude. Not now." Spike said, peering up from the back of the semi trailer he hitched a ride on, "I've spent 3 months locked up by Riley Finn, I've got two slayers who think I killed their mother and now I hear word these slayers are the real deal. You know what means."

"I know what it means for vamps and demons, but as a human, I'm not a target of the slayers, so as I see it, you need me a hell of a lot more than I need you." Lindsey said, smiling at the woman across from him as she slid off her robe.

"Why you little Nancy-boy, trying to grow a pair are we Lindsey? Well it's too late. You owe me and it's time to pay up boy." Spike said, trying to sound menacing as he stepped out of the way of one of the hundreds of pigs roaming the trailer with him.  
Lindsey held his glass of wine up to the woman across from terrace; "I can't protect you from the slayers or Angelus, so I don't know what you want me to do."

"I'm not worried about them, their time will come, but for now, I need a base to work from. Find me something suitable and round up some vamps while you're at it." Spike paused, eyes clear as he looked up into the sky, "Something bigger than all of us is getting ready to rise and when it does, I wanna be ready."

"What's going to rise? Is this a new game Spike?" Lindsey said with a laugh, ignoring most of what Spike was saying as he flirted with the pretty girl. "If you need a place to crash I'll get you one, but if Angelus finds out, you're on your own."

"I'll be in LA by nightfall, meet me at the warehouse by Pier 44, you know the one. If you try anything stupid, it'll be the last thing you do." Spike threatened calmly and then clicked off his cell.

Lindsey tossed his cell phone, across his living room where it landed beside a sleeping girl, curled up in a ball on his fancy love seat.

Startled by the phone landing on her thigh, the girl opened her eyes and sat up, "Lindsey? Where are you?" she said, looking frantically around the room.

"I'm right here." Lindsey said, walking in from the terrace, "How do you feel?"

"I'm still a little groggy. Where am I?"

"Well Tara, you are in my apartment in downtown Los Angeles. Don't you remember the trip on my private jet? You loved the trip." Lindsey said as he walked past Tara and into the kitchen.

Removing the blanket from her, she looked down at her naked body and then over at Lindsey, who still had his back to her, and she got up, hands over her breasts and a pillow down between her legs and started looking for her clothes.

Looking everywhere she could find, still no luck.

"Can I help you with something?" Lindsey said as he stepped up behind Tara.

Spinning around Tara was face to face with Lindsey, "Um, I must have left my clothes in the bedroom."

"No, you didn't have any when I brought you here. Is that going to be a problem?" Lindsey said, sitting down in front of the very shy Tara.

"Something doesn't feel right. Why am I in LA?" Tara said, just realizing what Lindsey had said earlier.

"You poor thing, you have the worst memory for things." Lindsey said, enjoying the view as he slowly looked her over from head to toe, "You look so good right now. Maybe you'd like to go back to the bedroom and you can leave the pillow here."

Tara was hoping Lindsey was joking, but when he got up and started walking towards the bedroom she knew he wasn't, "I don't know. I think I should get back home. My dad is going to kill me for this. Could we maybe do this another time?"

Lindsey wasn't pleased with Tara's response, walked back over and stood in front of her, "What's the deal? You asked me to take you back to my place. Well, here we are. You sure weren't shy earlier at the club. In fact, you were all over me. Now you play the little virgin routine?"

Backing up as Lindsey put his hands on her, Tara was in a panic as to what to do, but fate was on her side as the doorbell rang and Lindsey backed her into a corner, "This isn't over." He said with an evil grin as he walked over to the door.

Opening it, he was surprised and annoyed to find Angelus standing in front of him.  
"Angelus, what do I owe the honor?" Lindsey said, not opening the door any further.

"What, you don't trust me? I'm hurt." Angel said in a mocking tone. "That's okay, I'm actually here looking for a friend. Have you seen Tara Snyder?"

"No, I've never heard of the girl. Sorry." Lindsey said calmly, but was a bit too quick in trying to shut the door for Angel's liking.

"Are you in a hurry Lindsey? I tend to think that's a sign you have something to hide." Angel said as he pushed the door open and spotted Tara standing against the far wall, "Looks like you have company after all. I don't like it when people lie to me. You should know that by now Lindsey."

"Don't get your fangs in an uproar. She came here willingly. As you can see we were just about to retire for the evening, so if you don't mind." Lindsey said, once again trying to close the door.  
"Tara, would you come over here please. I have a message from your dad. It's urgent." Angel said, sensing his opportunity was now.

Tara started walking towards Angel as fast as she could, but Lindsey stopped her from walking out the door, "Not so fast. This guy doesn't know your dad, he's lying to you. Besides, he's a vampire, so I'd stay away far away from him."

"Don't be stupid Lindsey. You still have to work tomorrow. Don't think I'll let this slide." Angel growled, his hand squeezing Lindsey's as he gripped the door.

Pulling away from the pain, Lindsey lost his hold of Tara, who quickly ran past Angel and hid behind him, "I'm sorry Lindsey, but I have to go home. I don't know what happened here, but I just have to go."

Lindsey made a small movement to chase after Tara, but Angel's presence took the wind out of the plan in a hurry, "Not coming out to get her? Can't say I'm surprised."

Acting nonchalant, Lindsey walked right up to Angel, "I'm not her keeper. If she wants to go she can go." Lindsey looked right at Tara with his best sincere look, "I hope your dad is okay Tara, I'll call you soon."

"I'd strongly advise against calling her ever again. Seems they have this law against men having sex with underage girls. You should be familiar that, being a lawyer and all." Angel then pulled Lindsey up close, "If you so much so set foot in Sunnydale again you'll wish you didn't. She's off limits as of now." Angel let Lindsey go and adjusted his tie before he stepped back and put his coat around Tara.

Lindsey studied Angel closely, "I don't know what your game is Angelus, but something doesn't fit here. I told you once before, don't interfere with my plans." He then looked over at Tara, "Tara is very important to me and I have a feeling we'll be seeing each again real soon."

"I heard Spike isn't dust after all so I know you'll be in touch; tell him to stay out of LA, because if the sun doesn't kill him, I will." Angel didn't wait for Lindsey to respond as he took Tara and walked down the hall and waited for the elevator.

**Darla's Apartment Beverly Hills. LA**

Darla waited until she thought Harmony was immersed in some movie on Showtime before she got up, put her coat back on and moved towards the door.

"Where are you going? You're not just leaving me here are you? I get lonely when I'm alone." Harmony said as she jumped to her feet.

"I'm sorry; I thought you were watching a movie." Darla asked, trying to keep her smile in place.

"So, where ya going? Can I come? Are you going to a party?" Harmony said, her eyes lighting up at the possibilities. "With you know the movie stars and that guy from Baywatch, Mitch. He's tall. I bet he could get me on that show. I'm pretty, blonde and I look good in red."

"Actually it's David Hasselh...never mind. Anyway, I'm sure you would be great on that show Harmony, but I'm not going to a party, just a small meeting with a friend. It would bore you to tears." Darla said, doing her best to defuse Harmony's interest.

"That sucks." Harmony said as she turned back towards the TV, "Wait, you're going to your secret meeting aren't you? You have to take me. That's why I came. I'll be secretive. I can put on a disguise." She said as she stopped dead in her tracks and looked across the room, "Oh my god, that's it."

Darla watched as Harmony rushed over to the kitchen and grabbed a broom from the corner, "Okay, now be honest, if I wore a black hat and cape you'd think I was a witch right?"

"Um, yes, that's just what I'd think." Darla said, choosing the easy answer.

"Great!" Harmony said, rushing to the closet and flipping through the coats until she found just the right one, "This is perfect. Okay, I'm ready."

"You're not going out like that are you?" Darla asked, looking at Harmony's bizarre outfit.  
"Of course, I mean, I wonder if I can fly now? Do you think? I feel like a real witch. Do you know the magic words to fly?" Harmony said, scratching her head for the answer.

"No, you can't fly Harmony." Darla said, getting a headache from Harmony's constant questions, "You aren't a real witch. It's not even Halloween so could we leave the witch gear here? Maybe we can take it out later and practice flying?"

"I guess you're right." Harmony said as she took off her costume and put the broom back in the kitchen, "Ready to go now. Oh, if we see a witch store I have to go in and buy some ingredients. For spells and stuff."

"Let's just go please." Darla said, pulling Harmony out the door before she got another idea.

Darla kept the pace swift and steady as she moved through the streets of LA with ease. Stopping at a corner store, she walked in and headed straight for the back exit, turned left and walked down another corridor and then down some stairs that never seemed to end, before finally ending up at a strange looking door.

"I'm so tired. Can we go home now?" Harmony asked, collapsing on the floor and holding her feet.

"We are here, so you can rest okay?" Darla said as she walked up to the large metallic blue door, put her hand on the small round tile to the side and stepped back as the door began to open.

Harmony stood up and walked up to Darla, "Wow, what is this place?"

"You'll see. Come with me." Darla said, taking Harmony's hand as she led her into the room.

Inside, there were lights everywhere. There were only two people in the entire room and both were at the top of a beautifully crafted white marble stairway. Climbing the length of the stairs, Darla smiled at the two people, bowed and kissed the hands of both before stepping back.

The tall slender woman made the first movement as she stepped forward, "Welcome Darla. It is good to see you again. Your visit is unexpected, yet welcome as always. Please, introduce us to your beautiful young friend."

Darla turned to Harmony and pulled her forward a few steps, "I'm so sorry, this is Harmony Kendall; she's a friend of mine from Sunnydale. I felt it was time she met you both."

"Welcome Harmony. It's a pleasure to meet you. You must be very special for Darla to bring you here." The woman said and then paused as she noticed Harmony's confusion, "Forgive me, my name is Airlia, I'm the guardian of that which cannot be seen."

"Well, you aren't very good at it, because I can see you clear as can be. Maybe you just need practice." Harmony said matter of factly as she walked past Airlia and stood in front of the man behind her, "So, who are you?"

"I am Alastair; I am guardian of things I can not explain." He said, removing his hood and shaking Harmony's hand.

"Oh aren't you special." Harmony snapped and then walked back to Darla, "I still don't know where we are. What is this place? Is there a bathroom, I have to go pee."

Darla looked at Airlia, who motioned with her hands towards the corner, "Oh, its right over there Harmony."

Harmony turned to see a brand new bathroom appear before her eyes, "Wow, that was so cool. Are you a witch? Can you teach me how to be a witch? I have a broom and a cape."

Airlia looked puzzled, but kept her smile, "I wish I could help you with that, but alas, I am not a witch."

"Oh well, I'll figure it out somehow." Harmony said as she walked across the room and entered the sparkling new bathroom.

Alastair moved towards Darla, "She is a curious girl. What made you choose her?"

"I'm not really sure." Darla said with a smile, "I just feel that she has such a good heart. She has the potential to achieve much greatness with her life, but she's in need of some guidance. I fear if I don't help her soon, we could lose her to the dark side."

"It would appear the risk of losing her is greater than the risk of helping her, I hope you understand what those risks could mean to all of us." Alastair said softly yet firmly making his point.

"Yes, I am very aware of Harmony's quirky nature, but it comes from being trusting and naïve, yet full of wonder and enthusiasm for everything she does." Darla said, her face lighting up as she sung Harmony's praises, "But, most of all, I believe I can help her where others have failed or lost patience. I see past her outward appearance and have seen deep into her soul and it's beautiful."

Even after listening to Darla's passionate speech, Airlia still wasn't convinced, "I love how strongly you feel towards this young woman, but you have been warned once already for taking things too far in your pledge to help her. Pleasures of the flesh can only lead to disaster. Your mind has become clouded with feelings of lust, desire and yes, even love. You must realize you are playing with not only your life, but her life as well should you fail. Is that a price you are willing to pay? Is she? Should she?"

"Stop it. It's not like that." Darla said. Covering her ears as she lashed out, "I've stopped seeing her, you know this. What we had was beautiful, but it's over. I just want to help her."

"My dear, you know it's never that simple when feelings are involved." Airlia said as she put her hand on Darla's shoulder, "Your human side is unable to control them and I am sensing a tragedy is not far away."

"I won't let that happen. I just felt it was important Harmony knew she was loved." Darla said, emotionally pleading her case, "She needs that so much and after we broke up, I know it left a hole in her heart. She tries hard to stay positive and my god I admire that so much, but she's lonely and not just for love, but for friendship. What she has right now with her friends at school is superficial. It will never stand the test of time. It can't be wrong to love someone. It just can't be. Not even for us."

"Darla, do not confuse the issue here. Your purpose is not to achieve your own personal satisfaction, but to do what is best for the greater good." Airlia said as she moved up and put her hand on Darla's shoulder, "Did you bring Harmony here to save her? You know that can't happen. Her fate has already been decided."

"No, that's not true. You're not listening to me. She has a future and it's going to be full of happiness. Do not take her from me. I will fight you." Darla said, her voice growing angry. "Just give me some more time. You must see that she's coming around."

Alastair shook his head, "I'm sorry Darla, but you've already asked for extensions twice before and there are no signs of her coming around. She's destined to cross over no matter what you do. You have to accept this and let us do our job."

"I know you can't take her if she's under my protection, so I will stay with her until you see that you were wrong." Darla walked over to the bathroom and tapped on the door, "Harmony, we have to go now."

"Darla, do not make this worse than it has to be." Airlia said as she walked over to Darla, "Please don't do this. You have been such a wonderful addition to our group. You have to look at the big picture. The well-being of one cannot override the well-being of your friend. It's the first thing you are taught. Darla, I know this is hard, but it is for the best."

"I don't believe that. You are not hearing me. If you won't help me, then I have no choice." Darla said, disappointed at how things were turning out, waited for Harmony to come out and quickly put a bracelet around her hand and squeezed her wrist tight, "Hang on Harmony, we're about to go for a ride."

Alastair and Airlia watched as Darla invoked the Pratoreun spell, sending Darla and Harmony through a time warp, disappearing instantly.

"Should we send someone after them?" Alastair asked as he walked back up the stairs.  
Airlia took one last look at where Darla was standing, let out a sigh and then followed Alastair up the stairs, "No, this is one thing Darla must experience first hand."

"Her life is in serious danger now as is her friend. We cannot help them any longer. I fear Darla may be too willful for her own good." Alastair added as he sat down on his luxurious throne.

"We all knew she would be a challenge, but now we will see just what she's made of." Airlia said as she sat down on her throne, "If she can pull Harmony through, I think she will have more than earned her place among us."

"And if she doesn't succeed?"

"If she doesn't, her death is inevitable. Harmony will see to that." Airlia said as she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair.

**Riley's lab.**

Oz sat at a large oak desk looking over the days reports when the inner alarm went off as someone had breached security. Staring up at the row of security videos, he noticed a man poking his nose around the outer wall of the compound.

Turning on the speakerphone, Oz sat back down and made contact, "What are you looking for? This is private property and you are trespassing."

Gunn looked around to find where the voice was coming from before noticing a small camera way up in the tree's above him, "Hey there. Riley told me to come here. If you're Oz, you are supposed to be letting me in, not slowing me down."

"If Riley had sent you, you'd know how to get in. I'm really busy today so I'm just going to kill you and get back to work. No hard feelings. I do have a job to do." Oz said, reaching for a button on the side console.

"That won't be necessary. I have a proposition for Riley. It's regarding the slayers." Gunn said calmly and then stood by waiting for a response.

Riley walked into the lab and quickly walked over to the monitor, "What's Gunn want?"  
"He says he has a proposition about the slayers." Oz said, his hand still on the button, "Should I take care of him?"

Before Riley could answer, Wesley appeared on the screen in front of Gunn.

"Who might you be?" Wesley asked as he looked Gunn over."

"I might be the guy who kicks your ass if you don't get lost." Gunn said as he moved up close to Wesley, "I'm trying to have a meeting here if you don't mind."

"A meeting? With the shrubs? Must be fascinating." Wesley said with a smirk, "Are you a friend of Riley's?"

"No, not that it's any of your business. Who are you?"

"Enough." Riley yelled through the loud speaker. "You can both come in."

Oz pushed another button and the tall shrubs parted and the two men pushed against each other as they pushed through the narrow path.

"Who are these clowns?" Oz asked as he watched them fight their way through the long walkway.

"Wesley is an old friend and Gunn is a new enemy. Both could prove useful." Riley said as he paced back and forth, "Have them put in separate rooms. I'll talk to Gunn first. Oh and have one of our Spike clones ready for action. I think this could be very interesting."

"Sure thing." Oz said as he walked towards the door, "I'm heading to the Bronze after, do you know how many recruits we need?"

Riley sat down at one of the dozen computer stations, pulled up a screen and quickly turned to Oz, "We are down to needing only 7 more. Then we can move to the next phase."

"I should be able to get the final seven recruits tonight. It's a big party and it'll be packed." Oz said and then took off down the hall.

**End of Chapter 19.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 **

**In a corner of the world far, far away from Sunnydale.**

A dark dingy cavern, lit with only small torches, held the secret only a select few even knew about.

Below the first layer of molten lava stood a remarkably shiny new latch, attached to an equally shiny looking steel lid. On the lid was a rather complex looking padlock, the size of a football, with a three-dimensional, 9-wheel combination system.

Standing in front of the device was a menacing looking creature, Arcystic, a demon from the Harrali dimension.

Using its long powerful arms, the creature ripped off the padlock as well as the lid with little effort. Bending down into the pit below the demon began sniffing the air until it locked onto a smell. With a quick leap, it hurled itself into the pit, followed the scent until it came upon its prey.

In the far corner of the pit, hidden only slightly by a small chunk of rock, a terrified woman sat, curled up in the fetal position.

Arcystic stood above her and laughed, "If you knew how long it took me to find you, I'm sure you'd be very apologetic, but I have no time for that. You have something I want. Do you have it with you?"

"I don't know who you are. How could I know what you want?" she said as she sized up the giant demon, paying particular attention to its razor sharp nails at the end of its hand.

"Do not test my patience. I have searched this waste of a planet for almost a full earth year to find you Miss Gwendolyn Post. If you insist on testing me further you'll wish you hadn't in a very short time." Arcystic said, pulling her up above his head with one swift motion, "Where is the spell?"

"I want to make a deal." Gwendolyn said, suddenly calmer as she smiled down at the large beast. "It is you who takes me for a fool. Tell me Arcystic, why do you think I chose this spot to hide? Anything ring a bell?"

Arcystic looked around the pit, holding Miss Post tightly in his grip, "I do not like games. I have lived without this spell for thousands of years, I can live without it longer if need be, but you will not take another breath if you do not start talking."

"If only you did a little more research, but no matter." She said and then began chanting in some unknown language.

"What are you doing? Stop now or I will kill you." Arcystic said as he watched and listened to the ritualistic chanting.

As her chanting reached a fevered pitch, Gwendolyn reached out with her right hand, touched the top of Arcystic's head and smiled as the walls around her began to come to life.

Out of the rock and rubble came one creature after another, until the pit filled with hundreds and hundreds of demons, vampires and wild animals. Arcystic towered over them all, but could sense some serious power below him, "You know you can't kill me before I kill you. So what is all this?"

"Perhaps, but you need me as much as I need you." Gwendolyn said with a smug smile, "Now put me down. We are going to have to find some way to trust each other or we'll never achieve our goal."

"You over estimate your worth Gwendolyn." Arcystic said as he pulled her closer to his large mouth, "You are not the only human who knows magic, nor are you the only one who knows of the spell I seek. I will not tolerate this kind of insolence from anyone I'm working with." He slid out his acid filled tongue and slithered it up to Gwendolyn's face, "Would you like to feel what real pain is all about?"

"Stop it. Get that thing away from me you beast." Gwendolyn screamed as she turned her head away, "I was just protecting myself. I needed you to see I was worthy of being your partner."

"Next time you pull something like this, I'll feed you to the demons piece by piece, while you're still alive. Are we clear now?" Arcystic asked as he dangled Gwendolyn over the horde of creatures.

"Yes, yes, yes, Okay." Gwendolyn pleaded.

Setting her up on a ledge above the ground, "Do you really think you are the only one who has increased their power? You stupid girl. Watch and learn." Arcystic turned to the swarm of creatures that surrounded him and with lightning fast reflexes, raw power and the help of his acid breath; he soon wiped out every creature in the room.

Picking up the corpse of a large demon, he stared back at Gwendolyn as he dropped it into his mouth and swallowed it whole, "Create a portal to Sunnydale. I want to drop in on an old friend."

Still in shock at what she'd just seen, Gwendolyn pulled herself together enough to respond, "You can't go there. It's impossible to hide that gigantic frame. You may be powerful, but these two new slayers are not to be taken lightly."

"Do not talk down to me; I am well aware of the chosen two." Arcystic said and then began some chanting of his own.

With the room filled with light and energy rays, the spectacular visual effects continued as Gwendolyn covered her eyes and when she opened them she looked down below at a very human looking male, "What the hell."

Looking up at Gwendolyn the man smiled, "The portal my dear. Now."

"Oh my god, it's you." She said, finally able to focus in on his face.

**Sunnydale High School Library.**

A portal opened in the back room of the library and moments later Angel and Tara stepped out of it. Before they could say a word, another portal opened only inches away and Darla and Harmony stepped out of it.

Darla looked at Angel, pushed Harmony behind her, chanted a couple words and a shield appeared around the two women.

"Back off from the girl Angelus." Darla said as she removed her cross from her purse.

"It's Angel, not Angelus." Angel said, not sure how to prove his words, "I'm on your side. I talked with Praetos, I have a soul now."

"I'd always hoped you would choose this path, but I haven't been in touch with Praetos for a long time, I have no way to confirm this." Darla said, cautiously watching his every move.

"Here, take this." Angel said as he removed the Ring of Amarra and tossed it at Darla, "I have no reason to give you that. Can't ya do one of your spells to search for my soul?"

Darla caught the ring and lowered her defensive shield, "I can do a spell, but it's really quite a hassle. Calls for a sacrifice of a lamb, some other rather gruesome ingredients and the smell, by god the smell is enough to kill ya. Anyway, I sense a difference in you just in the way you walk and talk. I can't afford to be wrong though."

The Mayor walked into the room and took one look at Angel and pulled out his stake, cross and holy water all in the blink of an eye, "What's he doing here?"

"Convincing me he has a soul." Darla said as she welcomed the support, "Have you been in touch with Praetos lately?"

"Not since the annual New Year's festivities." The Mayor said as he moved over and stood beside Darla, "Which reminds me, I have to get something for Rupert's birthday. Do you have any ideas?

"I got him some fancy herbal tea from Japan; I think he's going to love it. There's 40 different flavors with a cute little jar for each one. They are adorable. " Darla said with a beaming smile, "Why not get him that guitar he's always talking about. I've heard him sing, he's surprisingly good."

"I hate to steal your idea, but I am running out of time." The Mayor nodded his thanks.

"Hello, ex bad vamp here." Angel said loudly, trying to get their attention.

"Right old boy, so you say you have a soul now, can you do me a little favor first?" the mayor asked as he stepped back towards the door.

"Sure, what do you need?" Angel asked.

"Sing for me." The mayor said as he waved someone in.

A green demon walked into the room with a bright blue suit and two small horns at the top of his forehead, "Well, let's hear it big guy. Pick a tune and let it rip."

"What the hell is this? Who is this guy?" Angel said, staring at the strange looking demon.

"This is Lorne." The mayor said as he put is arm around Lorne. "He's got a gift for reading people's future's, at least the near future anyway."

"Looks like a demon to me. So you trust him but not me?" Angel said as he walked over towards the demon, "What song am I supposed to sing?"

"That's up to you. I'm just here to read you and be on my way. I've got a club to run and you're costing me money." Lorne said, as he backed away from Angel, "Sing and your future will be known."

"Let me go on record as saying this is dumbest idea I've ever heard." Angel said, looking right at the demon. "But, if it ends this debate and proves I have a soul, I'll give it a shot."

Taking some time to think of a song, he spent the longest time trying to remember the words to any.

Lorne was about ready to pull his horns out, "Oh for the love of god my man, sing happy birthday if it's all you got. I'm getting a headache just watching you think."

"Now that I can do. Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Angel said as he stood in the middle of the room, cleared his throat and then in the most irritating voice of all time, began to sing, "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to um, oh you people, Happy Birthday to you."

When he finished he looked around to see everyone with their ears covered and Lorne on the ground holding his head.

Everyone rushed over and Angel helped him to his feet, "I wasn't that bad was I?"

"Oh you were, but that's not what did this to me." Lorne said as he got to his feet. "I saw a glimpse of your future and it's a very nasty ride ahead of you. Oh and he's definitely got a soul."

"I told ya." Angel said with a rare smile.

"Good, now you can start working with us." Darla said as she welcomed Angel to the group with a hug, "Glad to have you aboard."

"Thanks Darla, I owe a lot of it to you. You're a very persuasive woman." Angel said and then turned to Lorne, "What exactly did you see in my future?"

"Mostly I saw bring lights, but in between I saw a confrontation with an old friend, an unlikely alliance with a new associate and a final battle with an unspeakable evil. So, in short, you're plate is full. Alright then, gotta go." Lorne said with a smile and then scooted out of the room.

"Excuse me, would someone tell me what's going on here? I feel like I just stepped into a horror movie." Tara said as she walked over to Harmony.

"I know, but did you see the lipstick on that guy? I have to get me some of that. I just loved his costume." Harmony said, and then looked around the room at the strange looks she was getting, "What? I like that shade. Geez."

"Harmony, that was not a man. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't human." Tara said, giving Harmony a curious look.

Cordelia walked into the room, looked at the five people standing around, smiled awkwardly and turned to walk out.

"Wait." Darla said and then ran after Cordelia. Catching up to her just outside of the room, she stood in front of her and stopped, "So, how are you doing Cordy?"

"I don't know. What did I walk in on? Seemed kinda of weird. I mean, the mayor, you, Harmony, Tara and that tall pale looking guy just hanging out" Cordy asked, just as Giles walked into the library.

Moving closer to the two girls, Giles stopped, "Darla?"

"Giles?" Darla said in return.

"Hello?" Cordelia said as she looked at both of them.

"I didn't expect to see you here Darla." Giles said, trying his best to act casual.  
"Cordelia and I were just leaving." Darla said and then tried to lead Cordelia out of the room.

"Not so fast. I want to know who those people are. I swear I saw some green looking thing walk out of here just before I got here, so what is going on?" Cordelia demanded.

Angel and the others walked into the room and as soon as Giles saw Angel, he pushed Cordy out of the way, grabbed a stake from his jacket pocket and rushed towards him.

Stepping to the side, Angel avoided the first swipe by Giles and before he could make another move, the mayor and Darla had blocked his path.

"Slow down Rupert." The mayor said and took a few steps towards Giles, "Angel has a soul now. He's switching sides."

"Oh and that just erases everything Angelus did?" Giles asked angrily, "I don't think so. He brutally killed half my staff. One by one, he hunted them down, tortured and killed them. He's never going to work with me. Now get him out of here."

"Giles!" Darla said loudly.

"Really Rupert, you need to calm down and think about the big picture." The Mayor said, "Angel can help us in so many ways. He came to us. He wanted to change. I know you didn't sign off on this, but you knew how we voted and you knew you'd be seeing him on occasion."

"It's okay. I should go." Angel said quietly and then walked out of the library.

"Wait." Tara said as she ran towards Angel, "I wanted to thank you for helping me out last night. I don't know what I was thinking going home with him, but I'm just glad you showed up when you did. I will know to stay away from Lindsey from now on." Tara kissed Angel on the cheek and stepped back.

Giles shook his head and walked up to Angel, "Aren't we just the big hero? Did you and Lindsey set this up? I wouldn't put it past you. You might've fooled everyone else, but not me."

"Giles, you need to back off." Darla said as she put herself between him and Angel, "God, he helped Tara and you still won't see that he's changed."

Giles turned to Darla, "We don't know anything about what goes on in his twisted mind. If there's a way to fake a soul, Angelus would find a way, just so he could pick you off one by one and laugh at your stupidity while he did. And you know what; I'd laugh right along with him." Giles then looked at Angel, "Unlike them, I do not forget so easily who you are. IF and I do say the IF as in not likely ever, but IF I'm ever going to believe you've changed, it's you who's going to have to prove it. It's you who will have to earn our trust. Contrary to how these two are acting, it's not about blind faith. If you think I'm being too hard on you, well, too bad."

"I'm not arguing Giles. I know what I did." Angel said firmly, "I know you don't want to hear this, but I've thought about what I'd done even before I got my soul. I don't know how or why, but I slowly lost my will to feed, to kill, and to be a vampire. To do what I was created to do. It's one of the reasons I wanted to change. I can never make up for what Angelus...what I have done. I can't change that. I can only try to make a difference now. I don't expect any forgiveness; I don't need it to do my part. I'm not going away either. I'm here to help and I plan on doing that."

"That's a nice speech, now get out." Giles said as he walked to the back of the room.  
Darla rushed up to Angel, "It's going to take time, but you did the right thing."

"Well, I never thought it would be easy. He has every right to feel the way he does. All's I can do is try and show him I'm a different person now." Angel smiled over at Tara and then back at Darla, "I need to go. I have some unfinished business at Wolfram & Hart."

"Do you need any backup?" The mayor asked.

"I don't think so, but thanks. I just need to get some files and say some goodbye's and let them know I'm opting out of the last two months of my contract." Angel said and then nodded to everyone and walked out the door.

"Okay, can someone tell me what is going on here? I feel like I'm in the twilight zone." Cordelia asked, staring right at Darla as she said it.

"It's a long story." Darla said with a laugh.

"I've got nothing but time." Cordy said as she sat down in front of Darla, crossed her legs, folded her arms across her chest and waited.

Tara walked over and sat down beside Cordy, "Count me in. I'd like to know what else is happening around here to."

"Me to." Harmony said as she sat down beside Tara.

Darla looked over at the mayor and he nodded for her to continue, so she spent the next hour explaining as much as she could to the three girls.

**End of Chapter 20.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21.**

**Buffy Summers House.**

Willow had a new piece of information on the computer and everyone huddled around to do have a look.

"Hey, that's Lilah Morgan. What does she have to do with Fred?" Faith said as she tried reading the information in front of her.

"How do you know Lilah?" Buffy asked; her curiosity piqued instantly.

"It's a long story." Faith said, continuing to read.

"I'd sure be interested in hearing that story." Xander said, stopping everything to listen in.

"It's not a sex story Xander." Faith said as she looked over at him.

Xander's face quickly lost its initial enthusiasm, "Oh, in that case, I'll get back to my reading. Continue on."

"Thanks." Faith said with an eye roll directed at Xander.

"Yes, please continue." Buffy said, "How do you know someone who works for some big bad demon infested law firm?"

"I get around." Faith smiled, "Oh come on B, it's really not that sinister."

"Then let's hear it." Buffy sat back in her chair and waited for Faith to begin.

"Fine, but my part is simple, Lilah is Gwen's sister. Gwen is the girl I went to visit." Faith said and then looked at the computer screen, "How do you guys even know about Lilah?"

"That's an even longer story." Buffy said and then walked over to the table and pointed to all the material they had printed out. "This is some of what we learned. Anyway, while we were looking for information on the ring that hurt Fred, we came across all this. We are still piecing it all together."

"I don't like reading; could you give me the short version?" Faith said, turning away from the stack of papers.

"Okay, the ring led us to some demon race called the Glascoph's. We then learned that the queen is a splitting image of Fred. Later we learned that the queen's lover Millicent has a connection to Lilah." Buffy said, pausing in case she missed something.

"What does all this mean? Fred's a demon? Lilah's what, a demon to?" Faith asked, trying to keep everything straight.

"I don't know what it means, yet." Buffy said, "We need to get more information on so many things."

"What are we doing here then? Let's get out and do something." Faith said just as Fred walked into the room.

"Fred, what are you doing up?" Buffy asked as she rushed over to her.

"I'm fine. I couldn't stay in bed any longer." Fred said as she made her way over to the computer where everyone was milling about. "Have you found anything interesting about the ring?"

Everyone looked at each other and Fred looked back at them, "Well, something is going on, so why doesn't someone tell me what it is?"

"Buffy, look, it's an article on Marisella, but it's from last year." Willow pointed to the computer screen and everyone leaned in and began reading. "It's pretty wild, but this is what it says. In June of 1996, a young woman was found roaming the streets of Sunnydale. Word got out that she had shapeshifted in front of many people and that brought the Watchers Council into the mix. In August of last year, they detained the woman at a facility just north of here. The reason there was no connection to Marisella at the time, is that she had drastically altered her appearance. She took the Goth look, wore heavy makeup, colored her hair pitch black and barely resembled the Marisella we've come to know."

"That's where we're going." Faith said as she headed towards the door.

"I think she's right." Buffy said, looking at Willow and Xander, "You guys are doing great here, but I'm sure you have other things you might want to do, so why don't you take a break and we'll call ya if we come up with something."

"Okay, I probably should get home. I need to talk to Darla about the party Friday." Xander said, still beaming about his date.

"I have to get home to." Willow said, not sharing her plans with anyone.

"Good then. Thanks for all your help guys. I really appreciate it." Buffy gave Willow and hug and said goodbye to them both and showed them do the door. Seeing Fred standing silent by the computer, Buffy walked back over to her, "Hey, are you going to be okay here?"

"Well, I will be as soon as you tell me who this woman is." Fred said, sitting down at the computer.

"Oh god, I keep forgetting you weren't here for all the stuff we discovered." Buffy turned towards the computer, "Okay, here is the information we found about Marisella. Some of it is going to come as a shock, but I'll let you read this and I'll be right here when you're done."

"Now you've gone and scared me. Is it really bad or just...?" Fred asked. Weary of what she might find.

"Just keep an open mind and we'll deal with everything once you read it all." Buffy said, moving out of the way so Fred could have some privacy.

Fred sat down and began reading everything there was about Marisella. A few gasps later Fred sat back in her computer chair and stared at the picture, "I can't believe this. I don't know what to say. Is this all true? She's my mother? How is this possible?"

"I can't answer that." Buffy said as she moved back over to Fred, "I do think that if we go visit her you'll be able to ask her all this yourself. I know it's a lot to take in so quickly, but we really do need to talk to her. Are you sure you are up for this?"

"I'm fine. I want to go." Fred said as she opened the front door, "If this Marisella person/demon is, well, my birth mother, then I have a right to be there when you talk to her."

"She's right." Faith agreed, "Let's just take her with us."

"I guess, but I don't feel good about this." Buffy said looking at Faith.

"Stop treating me like I'm dead. I got knocked down, I slept for a whole day and now I'm back wide-awake and ready to go. Lead on slayers." Fred said with a perky smile.

"Alright, let's hit the road." Buffy said just as Dawn came walking down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Dawn asked, still petting Sigmund.

Buffy let out a sigh, "I can't believe I forgot about you. I need to get you a babysitter."

"You will not. Do I look like a baby?" Dawn asked, raising her voice as she spoke, "Don't answer that."

"I'm not leaving you in the house alone." Buffy said looking down at Sigmund, "Especially with that thing. God knows what it's capable of."

"Oh shut up you dumb blonde. Dawn is perfectly safe with me. I will protect her to the death." Sigmund said, sitting up in Dawn's arms as he stared back at Buffy.

"Stop saying shut up you little smart ass." Buffy yelled, "Listen Dawn, I have two options here. One you can come with us, which I do not like. Two you can go to the library and stay with Giles until I get back."

"That's easy, I'm going with you." Dawn said as she stepped in front of Buffy and stood on the porch, "Earlier today you wanted nothing to do with Giles and now you want to just pawn me off on him, I don't think so."

"Oh god. Why can't anything go smoothly." Buffy shook her head, locked the door and walked down the steps to the car.

"I'm driving." Fred said as she slid over into the driver's seat, "I am the oldest and it's just best that way."

"Fine by me." Faith said as she hopped into the back seat along with Dawn and Sigmund.

Buffy sat in the passenger's seat and as soon as she closed the door and buckled up, Fred took off.

**Pier 44: Port of Los Angeles.  
**

Spike arrived at the warehouse just as the sun was going down. He entered and walked through the dusty old building until he saw a light in the far corner.

Boldly walking forward, Spike spotted Lindsey sitting at a desk surrounded by guards.

"Good to see ya Spike." Lindsey said, pulling out a crossbow from under his desk and aiming at right at Spike's chest. "Let's save us both some time get right to the point. I found a place for you to stay and do whatever you want. You can go there right now. Now as I see it, that concludes our business."

"We're done when I say we're done." Spike said as he moved towards the desk, "I want some information and then if I'm satisfied I'll be on my way."

"About what?"

"Well, about a couple things." Spike studied the six guards standing close to Lindsey. Four who had semi-automatic machine guns and two who had crossbows. "I need to know more about Riley Finn. Everything you know about him. I also need some information on the new slayers. I've been out of circulation for three months and I need to catch up things. I also need to keep track of Angelus. Once you do that mate, you and I are finished."

"Is that all? I'll see what I can do." Lindsey said with a lazy shrug of his shoulders.

Annoyed at Lindsey's attitude, Spike dove across the table, knocked the bow out of Lindsey's hands and had him in a headlock before he could speak, "Okay, I don't think I'm getting through to you. This is not a request."

"You'll never kill me before my guards kill you. I know it takes longer to suck the blood out of a human. Give it up Spike. I said I'd look into this, now back off." Lindsey said, trying to remain in control.

"Who says I'm gonna bite? Snapping your neck would be much faster don't ya think?" Spike said as he twisted Lindsey's neck to the side, "I don't hear a yes Spike yet."

"Fine, but you're making a huge mistake making an enemy out of me. You have enough enemies. What you need is an ally."

"Bugger off Lindsey. Like I could ever trust you." Spike said with a laugh, "Just get me my information and we won't have anymore misunderstandings. You owe me this and then we're even."

"Yep, but if you push me too far, I can make more trouble for you than you can imagine. So, let me go and we are done." Lindsey said, doing his best to gain the upper hand.

"Where's this crypt you found for me?"

Lindsey reached into his pocket and tossed an address on the table, "Take it."

Spiked picked it up and put it in his pocket, "This better not be a double-cross. You know I'll have it checked out and if there's any sign of surveillance equipment of any kind, I'll be back for you."

Pushing Lindsey towards the three guards on the right, Spike took off out the door and disappeared into the maze of warehouses that covered the lot.

Lindsey got to his feet with anger in his eyes. He looked over at the man on his right. "Have a team disable all the surveillance items at the crypt. We'll deal with Spike later. Right now, I need a meeting with Drusilla. Set it up."

"Yes sir." The man said as he nodded and left the building.

Lindsey stepped in front of his desk and pulled another guard over, "Something is going on with Angelus. I need to know what it is. Use our connection and find out what he's done and who he's talked to in the last two weeks. Get on it." Lindsey then stepped towards another guard, "I need to find Gwendolyn Post. She's missed the last two meetings. Look into it." He then pulled yet another guard over, "I need you to look into Riley's business. I also need our lab moved. Angelus is bound to be suspicious about why I had Tara here last night, so I want the lab moved and I want it done now."

After sending all his men on different tasks, Lindsey walked into the parking lot, hopped into his limo and ordered the driver to head back to Wolfram & Hart.

** Sunnydale.**

Cordelia was driving down the street when she spotted Xander and Willow walking along the sidewalk. She pulled up to the curb, rolled down her window and leaned across her seat, "Hi Willow. I was just heading over to your house. Did you want a lift?"

Willow looked at Xander, who motioned for her to say yes, and smiled and slipped into the passengers' seat, "Thanks Cordy."

Xander leaned into the car, smiled at Cordy and then at Willow, "Well, you two girls have fun now. I'll talk to you later Willow. Oh Cordy, have you seen Darla around?"

"Actually yes, she was just at the library. You might catch her there if you hurry." Cordy said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks, I'll have a look. See ya." Xander said, then walked around behind the car and started running towards the school.

Cordelia put the car in park and turned towards Willow, "I kind of left something out when I told Xander about Darla. I just don't know what to do about it."

"Oh, what kind of thing?" Willow asked.

"Well, Darla was with Harmony at the library and they seemed, very, very close again. I haven't seen them like this since, well, since they were together."

"Together? Darla and Harmony? As in a couple? I had no idea." Willow said with a stunned look.

"It's amazing how discreet people can be when they want to be." Cordy said bluntly, "Do you think I should mention this? Cause it's not really my place, but I just hate to see the dumb lug get his heart broke."

"That is a tough situation." Willow said shaking her head, "But, this has to come from Darla I think. I'm glad you told me and it's nice that you're thinking of Xander's feelings to."

"I know he's your friend and that's why he matters." Cordelia smiled and then stopped and looked at her watch, "Listen, did you want to go get some dinner? Maybe see a movie?"

Willow couldn't help but smile, "Sure, I'd love to. I should call home first though."

"Here, use this." Cordelia pulled out her cell phone and handed it to Willow.

After getting the okay from her mom, Willow gave the cell phone back to Cordy, "Thanks. So where did you want go?"

"I have a surprise in store for you." Cordy said and then put the car in gear and took off down the street.

She hadn't driven more than a block when she spotted Tara at the side of the road and pulled the car over.

Willow rolled down her window, "Hi Tara."

"Hi Willow." Tara said, making serious eye contact with Willow, "What are you two up to?"

"We were just..." Willow started.

"Gonna head home and finish up some homework." Cordy finished the sentence for Willow.

Tara nodded, "Oh okay, wasn't that was some scene today? The things Darla told us were so unbelievable. If not for that vampire being there I would've been laughing."

"Vampire?" Willow said with a horrified look, "You were with a vampire today? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine as you can see. It's a long story, but he's a good vampire, so it's not like I was in danger." Cordy said, doing damage control as she glared at Tara, "In fact he helped save Tara from yet another bad choice last night."

"That's a low blow Cordy." Tara said defensively, "I mean he seemed nice enough. Not my fault you can't trust people anymore."

"What happened to you?" Willow said; feeling very left out of the conversation.

"Nothing really." Tara said nonchalantly, and then broke down when she started thinking about Lindsey.

Willow opened the car door and gave Tara a hug, "Oh it's okay, it's over now."

Cordelia waited until the hugging had stopped before she spoke, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just...I probably should could home now. My dad is going to kill me." Tara said as she stepped back and smiled at Willow, "Thanks for the hug. I really needed that."

"I'm glad it helped." Willow said as she got back in the car.

"You're too good to be true. That was so nice what you did for Tara." Cordelia said as she put the car in gear.

"I just hate to see anyone cry." Willow said with a cute little smile.

Cordelia smiled back at her and then continued on to her surprise.

**Riley's lab.**

Wesley sat in a comfortable chair in a large waiting room, flipping through some science magazines as he began to get restless and got up and walked towards the door.

As he opened the door, Riley walked in.

"Wes old boy, good to see ya. Have a seat. Sorry to keep you waiting." Riley said as he sat down across from Wesley.

"I'm here about that ring you were wearing that practically killed our Miss Burkle this morning. What have you found out about it?" Wesley asked and then sat back and studied Riley's face as he responded.

"Oh that. Well, there isn't much to tell. You guys would have better information than I do about it. The Watchers Council has far superior resources." Riley didn't change expression as he denied any knowledge of the ring, but he did show some concern as he asked his question. "How is she anyway?"

"She'll be fine, but that's not the issue." Wesley said dismissively and then leaned forward and got very serious. "I want you to tell me how you got a hold of that ring. I find it highly unlikely you just happened to end up showing it to Miss Burkle by accident. Let's skip the nonsense Riley and get it all out in the open. I know, or I hope you didn't know Fred would be hurt by this ring and were instead just seeing what kind of reaction it would have to her, but she was hurt and now you've made this our problem."

"Okay, I'll give you the short version." Riley got up from the table, walked over to a sidewall, pushed a button and a large video screen appeared in on the wall directly in front of Wesley, "This will give you some idea of how I got a hold of the ring. I assure you it's not sinister in the least. This is a tape of an interview I did with a Deparis demon called Actri, who claims he got it off the Glascoph's queen's lover, Marisella"

"I'll take any information I can get. Thank you." Wesley said as the video began to play.  
  
"State your name, rank and serial number for the record." Riley said, still in full military gear.

"I am Actri, leader of the Deparis death squad. I have no serial number." The demon said calmly.

"What are you doing on earth?"

"We came looking for Marisella. She is the lover who escaped capture when we eliminated the Glascoph's from existence. It is my responsibility to see that every last Glascoph is terminated." Actri said proudly.

"What led you to believe she was on earth?" Riley asked, walking in a circle around the interrogation table.

"We've always had scouts on earth." Actri said boldly, "It's our job to keep track of as many different races and civilizations as we can. One of my lieutenants heard about some highly irregular genetic research happening in the British underground. When he looked into it further, he discovered that Marisella was in fact leading the research. He asked me what to do next, I told him to kill her and bring her body and possessions back to me."

"Yes, but something went wrong didn't it?" Riley challenged, pounding his fist on the desk as he glared at the stoic demon.

Actri stared back at Riley but wasn't fazed by his theatrics, "Correct. We received a message that one of our scouts had found Marisella and was going to eliminate her that night. Later that night we received an updated message, but this was a distress signal. Our scout said a demon interfered with the assassination attempt. He was unclear which type of demon it was, but he did say it was twice his size, with a hard shell and spewed a deadly acid at him. The demon did not want Marisella, but in fact was protecting her. Why we have not yet discovered."

"Well, that is interesting." Riley said as he sat back down, "Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"That is all we know. I will accept my punishment now. Take this as a token of my respect." Actri said and then removed a ring from his finger and handed it to Riley, "This is from Millicent, Marisella's lover and then queen of the Glascoph's. It is said to provide mystical powers to the right owner. That is not I."

Riley looked the ring over, waved two of his men into the room, watched them scan it with two separate devices and then when he got the green light he picked up the ring and put it on his finger.

"Thank you." Riley said as he motioned for his guards to take Actri back to his holding cell.

Riley stopped the video, closed the screen and sat down opposite Wes, "Well there you have it. I have had this ring a little over a year."  
"Even if that's true, you still did your research into its origin." Wesley said, "He told you who it belonged to and from what demon, it's not like you were empty handed. So again I ask, why would you take that to Fred when you had no idea how it might react?"

"Come on Wes, you know there is no way to predict the outcome of something like this. There is no way I meant Fred any harm." Riley said, getting just a bit defensive, "Obviously researching this ring was not a high priority for me, so I only got the results back a couple weeks ago. I then located Fred and decided it was time to try this out."

"Again, something doesn't feel right." Wesley said as he stood up and walked over to Riley, "You don't just decide the time is right, something prompted you to go now. What was it?"

"You sure are persistent with your conspiracy theories. Same old Wes." Riley chuckled, "We got another piece of intelligence that said Marisella was heading towards LA. We knew Fred was a dead ringer for Marisella, but we didn't know if Marisella's intentions were good or evil. I hoped the ring would react positively to Fred. Maybe give her some powers in case there was a confrontation with Marisella. That's the truth."

"For the love god Riley, you need to start telling us what you're doing." Wesley said with a sense of pure frustration, "We could've helped. We could've run tests on the ring; studied it even more thoroughly than you. Your disregard for the council is one thing, but to endanger an innocent woman because of your stubbornness is irresponsible even for you."

Riley got up and walked away from Wesley, turned and put his hand on the two-way glass and slammed his hand against it, "Don't you think I know that? I had a team of my best medical personnel standing by in case there were complications. I was ready to send them in if I didn't get a pulse. Once I saw that Fred was stable I left, but I still had my team there monitoring her condition from very close by."

"That's good to know. I'll be sure to pass that on if she ever wakes up." Wes snapped as he sat back down.

"If you bothered to check on her you'd know she was not only up, but had just left with

Buffy, Faith and Dawn." Riley said with a smirk.

"What? How do you know this? If you are spying on her or us there will be consequences." Wesley said doing his best Clint Eastwood impression.

Riley shook his head at Wesley's attempts to sound threatening, "Relax Wes; I got the update from my medical team. I have no idea where they are going, just that they left."

Wesley changes his posturing from aggressive to calm, "Good to hear. Now, do you have any other information about the ring or Marisella?"

"Nothing useful." Riley said as he walked over to the door, "If I come up with anything I'll let you know. Contrary to what you seem to think, I do not want Miss Burkle to be hurt by anyone. I'm still on your side Wes, I just go about it a different way."

"I hope that's the case Riley, because there are things happening all around us and we both know what lies ahead. Well, I don't suppose you want to tell me why you're taking a meeting with Gunn, a known associate of Angelus and Wolfram & Hart?"

"I like to keep my enemies close." Riley quipped as he led Wes to the main entrance, "I'm sure he's got some proposal for me about how we should work together and it's my job to find out what he's up to without him knowing about it. He would never come to the Watchers Council so this is a good thing, even if you don't see it."

"Don't forget that your enemies are doing the same thing to you. Anyway, I'm sure we'll be in touch soon." Wesley said as he left Riley's lab.

**End of Chapter 21.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22.**

**LA Airport: Private Hangar.**

Kate got off the jet and had the limo take her to Wolfram & Hart. She had the driver park a couple blocks down the street so she could make a phone call.

"Wolfram & Hart, how may I help you?"

"Good to hear your voice again Lilah."

"Kate, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. What's going on?"

"I need a bit of a favor, but it's a big one and I would rather talk to you outside about it. Can you meet downstairs?" Kate said as she opened her laptop.

"Sure, I'll be right there." Lilah agreed, hung up her phone, grabbed her purse and made her way to the elevator.

Kate typed away at her computer until a screen filled with names appeared. Scrolling through them page by page, she stopped when she got to the name she was looking for. Clicking on the name, she brought up a biography of the person.

It was a history of Angelus.

Spending the next 10 minutes reading about everything Angelus had done in his long life, she was much less enthused about her plan.

A knock on the car window kept her from thinking about it too long.

Kate unlocked the door and waited as Lilah got into the back seat.

"Glad you could make it."

"You made it sound important." Lilah said as she looked over the fancy limo. "You must be moving up in the world to afford one of these things."

"Not me, I'm not much for fancy. This is what my newest client lets me get around in." Kate said as she rubbed her hand across the plush leather seat, "Anyway, I had a big plan for us, but after looking at Angelus' history, I'm not so sure I want to do it this way."

"That's probably a smart move. He's not someone you want as an enemy." Lilah said as she casually gave Kate the once over with her eyes, "But, why are you investigating Angelus?"

"It's a long story." Kate said shaking her head, "I'm not really investigating Angelus, but I think he might have some information I need. I might need to move to plan B now."

"Okay, what's plan B?"

"It's a trip to Texas, are you up for it?" Kate smiled, "I could use some company and some help from someone as capable as you are."

Lilah was puzzled yet intrigued at the same time. "Texas? What's in Texas? Or is it a question of who is in Texas?"

"Maybe a little of both. I honestly don't know." Kate said, "I'm looking for some clues about a girl. She was born in Texas and I just need to find out more about her.

"I don't know if I can get away. Actually, Angelus up and left yesterday and he hasn't been back since. I am already taking heat from some of the partners. If he doesn't show up soon he's either dead or worse, he's turned against Wolfram & Hart."

"Wow." Kate said, sensing an opportunity was presenting itself. "Well, if he's dead we can look through his files right? If he's turned against them, he might be willing to work with me? You think?"

"You don't work with Angelus, you work for him." Lilah said emphatically, "If he doesn't come to you, I would not go near him. He's unpredictable and kills for fun. Just stay away from him. You have no idea the things he's capable of."

"Thanks for the warning, but I need information and I'll do what I have to do to get it."

"Can you tell me what you need?" Lilah asked, "I can look through the records and if I find anything, I can let you know. It's just too risky to bring you up there. If they find out you're a PI, you're dead. That's not an exaggeration, it's a fact."

"I get the message." Kate said with a laugh, "You sure can be scary when you want."

"I want you scared about this." Lilah said, raising her voice yet again, "There are some things you just have no clue about. It's best you never do."

"It's nice you care, but it still leaves me with the same problem. I just don't want to put you in a position where you could get fired or worse, just helping me out." Kate said, talking herself into plan B, "I'll find another way. Are you sure you can't go to Texas with me?"

"Sorry, things are too hectic around here. I wish I could." Lilah said, relaxing enough to let out a rare smile, "I want to help though, give me the name and I'll run it through the computers. If someone questions me, I'll say I was doing it for Angelus or say that Anya or Drusilla got into my computer."

"Okay, but please be careful. The name is Winifred 'Fred' Burkle." Kate said, handing Lilah a piece of paper with the name on it, "If you get anything just give me a shout and I can download it on my trusty ole laptop."

"Thanks, I'll get right on this. Are you going to Texas like now?"

"Yep, I've got a private jet fueling up and I can go anywhere I want. I might as well use it." Kate smiled at her good fortune.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." Lilah said with a warm smile, and then turned serious, "Do you know any good PI's? I need a few more leads looked into in my sister's case."

"I'm sorry, I didn't even ask about Gwen. Was that Faith girl any help?" Kate asked, leaning over and putting her hand on Lilah's shoulder.

"Yes, Gwen really wanted to see her so I know it helped." Lilah said, glancing at Kate's soft sweet face looking so concerned, "Faith did find some more information out and I need it verified. Anyway, you've been a big help already, so I'll just find another way until you get back."

Kate took Lilah's hand in hers, "Hey, I can scrap this job. I'd rather help you and your sister."

"No, you can't do that." Lilah said as she smiled back at Kate, "You're sweet to offer, but I think you need to finish this job and then we can talk."

"Okay, but I can give you the name of one guy I trust." Kate said as she searched through her purse.

Just then, the car door opened and Angel slid in beside Lilah, "Hello Lilah. Who's your pretty friend?"

Lilah's face went white as a ghost and she crawled over and curled up against Kate, "Go away."

"Awe, is that any way to talk to your boss?" Angel said in his best Angelus voice, "Oh who am I kidding, I just can't pull it off."

"What are you talking about?" Lilah asked as Kate held her close.

"Well, I'm not Angelus." Angel said as he sat back and took in the stunned expression on Lilah's face, "I know, it takes a bit of getting used to. Anyway, did I hear someone say they needed someone to looking into their sister's murder charge?"

"Who is this guy?" Kate asked as she felt Lilah ease up just a little.

"I don't know. I thought it was my boss Angelus, but he's acting very strange." Lilah said looking up at Kate.

"I am your boss." Angel said loudly, "I've just gone through some changes in the past couple days, some rather big changes actually. I got myself a soul. Yep, I'm one of the good guys now. So, about that problem, if you need some help, I'm your guy."

"This is too much. I don't know what's going on here." Lilah said, staring back at Angel as if he were a stranger. "One day you are trying to kill me and now you want to help? Why should I believe you or trust you ever? This is my sister's life we're talking about."

Angel tried to look as unimposing and as friendly as he could as he continued, "I know this is confusing, but there really isn't a lot of time here. I've gone through most of my files, but I need access to some of the classified Wolfram & Hart files that you have the passwords for. I need them. When I have everything I need, I will look into how Wolfram & Hart framed your sister."

"Lilah, I know I've only read about Angelus, but I am not feeling any fear towards this guy. Maybe he's telling the truth. Isn't there some way to test this whole soul theory out?" Kate asked, enjoying her role as comforted Lilah.

Lilah's eyes lit up and she gave Kate a big hug to show her appreciate, "You're right, there is. Down in the science department they have a soul scanner. Mostly they use it on their employees to make sure they aren't demons in hiding, but they also use it in recruiting those whose souls are weakened, making them perfect recruits for there brainwashing programs." She then turned to Angel, "If you pass the soul scan, we have a deal."

"That's really a nice little idea, but if I pass the soul scan everyone at Wolfram & Hart will be after me."

"Maybe, but if you really did switch sides, they'll be after you anyway, this way you can prove yourself first." Lilah waited for some kind of reaction from Angel, then spurred him on one more time, "Come on, seems only fair since I'm going to risk death getting you those files you want."

"Okay, you've got a deal." Angel said and then shook Lilah's hand. Removing some papers from his coat, he handed a number of them to Lilah, "I need at least two copies of each of these files; one for me and one for backup. Most of these are address files, portal maps, lists of demons working for them and lastly, my high scores for solitaire."

"You're what?" Lilah asked with a laugh.

"I spent years amassing those scores and then someone got caught sleeping with solitaire on their screens and they banned it from all computers. Well, I want those scores so I can put it on my computer at home. If you're done laughing, let's get going."

"Sure thing boss." Lilah chuckled, as she watched Angel get out of the car. Turning to Kate, she smiled and slid over to her left, leaving the warm confines of Kate's sexy body, "Thanks for everything. I needed to talk and now I think everything might be looking up for a change. Make sure to look me up when you're back in LA."

"I will, I hope everything works out for your sister." Kate said as she slid over and stepped out of the car with Lilah, "Are you sure you can trust that guy?" she said pointing to Angel.

"I think I can. I'm not getting the same vibes from him. Angelus terrified me and he enjoyed it. He's just so different now, it can't possibly be Angelus." Lilah said as she waved to Angel up the street and then turned to face Kate, "You have a safe trip okay?"

"I will. Bye." Kate said as she gave Lilah a hug, got back into the limo and knocked on the glass partition.

"Yes Miss Lockley."

"Back to the airport we go." She said and then sat back and enjoyed the ride.  
  
Lilah caught up to Angel outside Wolfram & Hart, "How do you want to do this?"

"It all depends." Angel said, leaning up against the wall, trying to look cool one might presume, "Do I have to go through the soul scan or can we get right to the file stealing?"

"We can skip the scant. If you're really Angelus and can pull this nice guy bit off, then I deserve to die for being so gullible." Lilah said as she led the way into the building.

**An old dirt road just north of Sunnydale.**

Fred pulled into a small gas station at the side of the road, looked over at Buffy and threw her arms in the air, "This is the address. Let's get out and have a look around."

All four girls got out of the car and began searching the area.

Faith stayed with Dawn and Fred went off with Buffy.

Dawn walked inside the small store and right off the bat Sigmund began his usual chants of, "Mustard, mustard, give me some mustard."

"Quiet down Sigmund. You don't yell." Dawn said, only partially scolding the creature, "I'll have a look."

"How can you put up with the big mouth on that thing?" Faith asked as she stared at Sigmund.

"Mind your own business you little slayerette. Is that girly for slayer?" Sigmund said with a mocking sneer.

"Stop it." Dawn yelled as she pulled him away from Faith.

Faith sneered at the pesky pet, and then gave Dawn an equally scary look, "Your pint sized little pet is getting on my nerves."

"I'm sorry, he's learning. It'll take time to teach him some manners. Just ignore him, he's harmless." Dawn said, forced to defend Sigmund again.

"I don't blame you Dawn; I blame that little pest you're holding." Faith said as she continued to look around the small store.

Outside, Fred and Buffy had come across a strange metal box about twenty feet behind the gas station. It was about a foot across and two feet high, with a small round silver handle on the door.

Buffy had Fred step back, then she pulled the door open and there were several lights blinking around the small credit card slot on the right side.

Fred immediately opened her purse and pulled out a Watchers Council ID badge, "Looks like we found it. We need Dawn and Faith here before we go in, because the door doesn't stay open for more than 30 seconds after I pull the card out."

"I'll get them." Buffy said with a nod as she ran around to the front of the building and motioned the two girls out back.

"Okay, I have no idea where the door will open, but it will be close by, once it's open get inside in a hurry." Fred warned and when she had everyone's attention, she slid the card into the slot. When a door appeared at the back of the gas station, everyone rushed forward and ran through it.

Once inside the building, Fred used her card again. The large steel door in front of them opened and they all walked through to a long narrow pathway where they continued downward until they came to the central control room.

As always, Fred used her card and they walked into the sparsely filled main lobby.

Walking up to the information desk Fred smiled at the attractive receptionist, "Hello, I'm looking for a Marisella? I believe she is being held here. I work with Rupert Giles, head of the Watchers Council."

"One moment please." The woman said as she began typing away at her computer. Moments later she looked back up at Fred, "Only two people are allowed to talk to our visitors at one time. Your other two friends will have to wait here. I will have Marisella waiting in Control Room 3, just down the hall and to your right."

Fred turned to the others who had heard the woman's words, "Who's coming with me?"

"You can take Buffy, I'll watch Dawn." Faith said, "I'm going to ask around about Gwen and see if I can find out anything."

"Okay, if we're ready, let's go." Fred said, anxious to meet the woman she has such a strong connection to.

Down the hall and to the right, Fred stopped in front of Control Room 3, "I'm so nervous. We don't even know if this is Marisella, but if it is, what do I say to her?"

"You'll be fine. Just be natural and honest and I think she'll respond to that." Buffy said, reaching up to rub Fred's shoulders, trying to relax her.

"Oooh, that feels so good. Maybe I'll just stay here and get a massage instead." Fred joked; her big smile not enough to hide her shaky nerves.

"You can do this." Buffy encouraged as she guided Fred towards the door.

Fred opened door number 3 and walked inside with Buffy. There was a table in the middle of the room an armed guard on both sides and a door straight ahead.

A few minutes later, a man walked through the far door carrying a medical bag, a clipboard and a stun gun.

He walked over to the table, sat down the bag and the clipboard and moved towards Fred, "You must be Winifred Burkle."

"Yes, but you can call me Fred." She said as she shook the man's hand and then turned towards Buffy, "This is my friend Buffy Summer."

"Ah yes, it's an honor meet you Miss Summers." The man said with a thick British accent as he motioned for the two girls to have a seat. "My name is Dr. Lionel Parch."

"Hello Lionel. Is Marisella here or did I get my information wrong?" Fred asked, not sure what was going on.

"We will bring her out in a few minutes, but first I need to go over some house rules." Lionel pulled out two sheets of paper from the clipboard and handed one to both girls,

"These are fairly standard rules, but there are a couple that are strictly enforced. One, you must not touch the patient at any time. This should not be a problem since she will be on the other side of a glass partition, but you need to know this. Two, your conversation will be tape-recorded and video recorded, so please refrain from any type of whispering. Lastly, you have only 10 minutes to conduct your interview due to the patients deteriorating condition."

"I don't understand, what's wrong with her?" Fred said, her voice shaken and cracked.

"I'm sorry, we simply don't know." Dr. Parch said shaking his head, "She was fine when she arrived, but things have taken a turn for the worse over the last month. It seems her will to live has left her and her body is following right along. It's not regenerating the special blood cells she needs to survive."

"There has to be something you can do." Fred pleaded as Buffy held her hand and squeezed it tight.

"We've tried everything, but her DNA is so complex we have no idea what to do. Nothing works on her, "Lionel said with an exasperated sigh, "Not simple remedies, nor the more complicated ones. Her cell tissue devours any pills that enter her system. It's the most amazing phenomenon I've ever seen. She's admitted to changing her DNA, but she says she won't divulge her secrets and keeps saying "it's time to go" over and over and over again."

"Then I have to see her now. Please, can we see her?" Fred said anxiously.

"Yes, of course." Dr. Parch got up and led them into the next room.

In the room was another smaller square room in the middle. Complete with thick steel walls, a thick glass partition and two chairs on either side of it. Above the partitions on either side, were cameras and a bizarre lighting pattern with six triangle shaped lights scattered along the ceiling.

There were two more armed guards in the room, both on the visitor side of the room.

Dr. Parch walked around the small room and through another door, appearing moments later with a woman behind him. Locked in chains, she was led into the room and helped to her chair.

After watching the door lock behind her, Dr. Parch motioned for Fred and Buffy to come into the room.

Fred sat down in front of the woman, staring back at her in silence. The woman was a shadow of her former self. Even though she was hundreds of years old, she looked no more than 30 and yet looked physically frail.

Her face though was unmistakable. It was like looking in a mirror for both women.

The woman smiled back at Fred and with her eyes tearing up, she spoke her first words, "My baby. You've found me."

"Yes, yes, I have. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Fred said as she smiled back at her birth mother.

"You are more beautiful than I could imagine." Marisella said, her soft hands trembling as she put them up against the glass, "I've lost hope since I've been in this place. I've had a long, long journey and I felt my time was near."

"No, it's not time!" Fred yelled, "Not time at all. I just found you. I have so many questions. I don't know where to begin."

"I love the passion in your voice. You are my little girl." Marisella smiled, but that quickly turned to tears as she thought about the past, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I know you've had a good life and wonderful parents, but I missed you every day. I need you to know this. I did love you. I still do. I hope you know I did what I did out of love."

"It's not your fault. I know that. I want to know all about you and your people. I want you to tell me about Millicent. I only know some small details but I know they can't tell the whole story." Fred stopped for a moment and became very serious, "I'm going to get you out of here. They have no reason to hold you now. Please, you have to fight. You have to let your body heal. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes, I will get better my dear. You've brought me hope for the future, for our future." Marisella said, her voice getting more energetic as she spoke. She then looked over at Buffy, "I feel so rude, I totally ignored you miss."

Fred turned to Buffy and then back to her mom, "It's my fault. This is my friend, Buffy. She helped me find you."

"Hello Buffy, I owe you my gratitude for bringing my daughter to me. I hope to repay you one day." Marisella said with a friendly wave of her hand.

"Thank you, but you don't owe me a thing. I was glad to help Fred, and I'm just so happy for you both."

Marisella did a double take at the mention of Fred's name, "Fred?"

"Oh right, the name thing." Fred chuckled, "My given name was Winifred, but I got nicknamed Fred in school and it stuck with me. I kind of like it. It's unique and short and well, it's a real conversation starter."

"That is different, but if you like it then I like it. Fred." Marisella said her name for the first time, "Hmm, I'm sure I'll get used to it in time."

"We don't have much time here so I have to ask you a couple quick questions. I hope you can answer for me." Fred said as she looked at her watch, "I came into contact with a ring we believe was yours. It's a silver ring with three blue triangle designs on it."

"You found the ring?" Marisella said as she leaned forward full of excitement, "Where is it?"

"Well, I don't actually have it, but someone we know does." Fred said; trying to stay focused. "Anyway, when I got near the ring it gave me a shock that knocked me out for a day. Do you know why it would do that?"

"It's a homing device among other things. Unfortunately, the ring was not designed to be used by humans. There DNA and molecular structure are different from our people. Obviously, the ring picked you out over others, so you do have some of our genetic markers, but you're your body isn't made to take that type of shock. I'm just glad you weren't hurt worse." She explained calmly, and then again leaned forward and became highly intense, "Sweetheart, you need to listen to me right now. I want you to get that ring. It belongs to our people. Once you put it on you will see and feel the powers it provides. It is vital that you get that ring back."

"Okay, I'll get it. I promise." Fred said, determined to make her mom proud.

"I trust you. I will be waiting for your return. Now that I have something to live for." Marisella said just as Dr. Parch entered the room.

"I'm sorry, but time is up." He said pointing to his watch, "You may visit once every two days. After a week, you'll be allowed to spend up to 30 minutes with Marisella. In time, you will be allowed one visit of 60 minutes per week as well."

Fred waited for Dr. Parch to come back around to the waiting room then stormed towards him, "I want to know why you are holding her here like some prisoner? What has she done to deserve this?"

"I can't answer that. I am merely a physician doing my job." The doctor showed no emotion as he delivered his response.

"That's not good enough. If you won't give me some answers, take me to someone who will." Fred demanded, "If I have to bring the head of the council down to get your ass in gear I will."

"Please Miss Burkle, I understand your frustration, but this is a security matter and it's out of my control." Dr. Parch said as he backed away from Fred, "I will however let the facilities supervisor know of your concerns."

"Hey doc, don't give us the run around. We've come a long way to get here..."

The doctor interrupted, "It's only a couple miles from your house."

"Quit changing the subject." Buffy said as she took two steps towards Parch, "See that phone on the wall, call your supervisor and tell him he has a slayer and an angry daughter waiting for him. I am not waiting until you talk to Giles. No, I'll call him only if you don't cooperate. Then I'm sure he'll be twice as pissed. Am I getting through to you?"

"Yes. Perfectly. I will call Mr. Bannam's office, but he's not always in. That is the truth." Dr. Parch said as he walked over to the security phone on the side wall.

"Wow, you sure lit a fire under him in a hurry." Fred said with a grin.

"I just remembered how my mom would get when she wanted me to listen up." Buffy said with a smile, as she thought back to a time when things were so much simpler.

"I wish I could've met your mom, she sounds like so much like my mom, or well my mom from Texas I guess." Fred stuttered, "It's strange having two mom's now."

"I'm sure you'll get used it in time." Buffy said and then turned as Dr. Parch walked back over to them.

"Mr. Bannam will be down in 10 minutes. You may wait for him in the lobby with your other friends." Dr. Parch said with a forced smile.

"Thank you." Fred and Buffy said simultaneously, and then walked out the door.

**End of Chapter 22.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23.**

**Outside Wolfram & Hart's offices.**

Angel sat in the back of his Wolfram & Hart limo looking through the files he'd removed from his computer and some that he just felt a strong need to have.

He set them down and looked over at Lilah, "Well, you're sure quiet, what's up?"

"I'm just waiting for you to live up to your end of the bargain."

"Oh right, that." Angel said as he slid over and sat down beside Lilah, "Well, you need to give me a place to start."

Lilah smiled and responded, "Okay, why don't you find out why Wolfram & Hart wants Gwen so bad. It's not just because of her powers."

"Um, what powers does she have? She's just a kid isn't she?" Angel asked, curious about what he was dealing with.

"Do you not get any of the memos?" Lilah snapped, "Gwen has a gift or a curse, depending on who you ask, in that she has the ability to channel electricity in many creative ways. Some deadly, some useful, but they don't come without a price. She's been slow to make friends and is always afraid of hurting someone she loves by accident."

Angel rolled his eyes, "I don't need the whole sappy story, just the relevant parts."

"Oh god, you are no different than Angelus." Lilah said shaking her head. She hopped over to the other side of the car and looked back at Angel with an annoyed look. "They might've given you a soul, but you need a heart fast."

"You're right. I'm sorry." Angel said sincerely, "It's going to take some time to get used to this. About those memo's, do you have any handy?"

"No, but I think I can paraphrase." Lilah said, sitting back against the soft leather, "From what I recall, all the memos to general staff were quite vague. They put an award out for the capture of Gwen. They didn't say why, but the reward was $50,000, so it didn't take long for Gwen to be captured. I got a hold of a private memo from Holland and in it, there was a reference to a demon called Marisella. It also said that Gwen was connected to this demon in some way. I tried finding information on Marisella, but I always came up empty. If Gwen is connected to this demon, then maybe I am to. We are sisters."

"That's a good place to start." Angel said, "I have some connections of my own. Let me talk to some of them and I'll get back to you."

"No way. I'm going with you." Lilah said firmly.

"You need to stay here and keep an eye on things. If you disappear the same time as me, then you are in serious danger from Wolfram & Hart." Angel said as he stepped out of the limo, "Your sister might need you, so let me take care of this and I'll let you know what I find out."

"Fine, but I want to be involved in this. Don't shut me out." Lilah said. Half ordering and half pleading.

"I won't, but where I'm going you'd never survive." Angel said as he took off down the street.

**Trish and Roger Burkle's home.**

Kate stopped in front of the Burkle farm, parked her car and got out. Walking up to the front door of the small, but comfortable house, a very tall man in overalls came rushing towards her.

"Howdy ma'am."

"Hi, are you Roger Burkle?" Kate asked, knowing he was from the pictures she'd seen.

"Why yes I am. Who might you be?" He said, wiping dust and dirt from his face.

"I'm Kate Lockley." She said extending her hand to Mr. Burkle, "I'm here to talk to you about your daughter Winifred. Is there someplace we could talk?"

"You know my little girl? How's she doing?" Roger said as he walked up to his front door and led Kate inside, "She doesn't call or write near enough for my liking. But, I'm sure she's all busy with that science work and all."

Mrs. Burkle walked into the living room and stopped as she saw Roger talking to Kate, "Who's your friend?"

Roger walked over, put his arm around his wife and pointed towards Kate, "This here is Miss Kate Lockley, she's a friend of Winifred's."

"Oh, I don't recall Fred ever mentioning a Kate. How do you know her again?" Trish said, much more suspicious than Roger ever was.

"I'm sorry, if we could sit down I could explain everything." Kate said, hopeful she'd get that chance.

"I don't see why not." Roger said boisterously as he helped Kate to an old rocking chair in the side corner, "The young lady came all the way from California, it's the least we could to hear what she has to say."

"Thank you." Kate said as she got comfortable.

"Yes, please do tell us how you know Fred." Trish said, standing directly in front of Kate.

"Of course." Kate nodded as she looked back at the Burkle's, "Well, to tell the truth, I don't know Fred personally. I'm helping a friend get some information on her so she can throw her a big birthday party. As you know her birthday is only a couple months away."

"Whadya know, she's right. Winifred does have a birthday coming up and I darn near forgot all about it." Roger said, slapping his knee.

"Roger, we have talked about this. We already have Fred's gift picked out." Trish said, "Sometimes I wonder if you ever listen to me."

"Come on now, you know I do." Roger said, thinking hard and fast about what his wife must have told him.

Trish shook her head at Roger and then turned her attention back to Kate, "Anyway, I still don't know what your connection is to Fred. Who are you helping? She's talked about some of her friends so I should know who you're working with."

"Right, I can see I this was a bad idea. I should go." Kate started to get up but Trish pushed her back in her chair.

"Not so fast."

"I think my wife is a bit uncomfortable with your visit all of sudden." Roger said as he looked over at Trish. Taking a step towards Kate, he got down on one knee and looked her in the eye, "If I were you, I'd start telling the truth before she gets real angry."

"This isn't how I wanted to do things, but, oh god, the truth is going to sound much worse than the birthday story." Kate said, pulling her ID out of her purse.

Roger grabbed it from her and looked it over with Trish, "A private investigator? I think you better start talking miss, because our hospitality is about to turn ugly."

"I understand that you're upset and I probably could've handled this better, but it's not an easy subject to bring up with people. Especially people..."

"People like what missy? What were ya gonna say? Dumb people like us hick folk?" Roger said, his face turning red as he continued, "Well, you might want to stop judging people just because they live on a farm and have a southern accent."

"I apologize. I really do, but once you hear what I have to say, you're gonna wish you didn't know." Kate said as she prepared to tell them everything she knew about demons, vamps and other super natural forces.

"You let us be the judge of that young lady." Trish said and then sat down beside Kate in a small sofa.

Kate proceeded to tell them everything she knew about Fred, Marisella and even a little about Buffy.

After taking some time to digest everything they'd just heard, Roger stood up, walked over to his gun rack and pulled down a double-barreled shotgun. "I think you better show me where these demons are that are messing with our little girl."

"Roger, put that gun away." Trish said, following it up with a glare that got her point across even more. Turning back to Kate, "That is quite a story young lady. I don't suppose you have any proof of the things you've just told us?"

"Nope, none at all, but I believe it to be true." Kate said shaking her, "I've seen things I can't explain and they do exist. I'm only here to help Fred. I prefer to work under the radar and that's why I made up that story earlier. Anyway, if you have any information about Fred's life that seems remotely suspicious it might help."

"Well, Fred has always been a quiet girl." Trish said as she tried to think back to her daughter's childhood, "She had a few friends as she was growing up, but mostly she liked to come home and help around the farm. She was such a good girl. She never got into trouble and I just don't know how any of this is going to help you."

"What about when she became a teenager? That's usually when kids start to rebel." Kate asked as she continued to pepper the Burkle's with questions. "What about high school? Did she have any boyfriends or go to any parties? Did she ever stay out late?"

"I don't recall her having any long term boyfriends, but she did go out on a few dates. I had to encourage her, but I don't think anything strange happened on them. She just said she didn't click with any of them." Trish added.

"Wait, there was that time she went away for the weekend with that new girl in school. Remember honey?" Roger said as he looked at his wife.

"Yes, how I could I forget." Trish said, "Fred came home one Thursday afternoon and she brought this girl with her. Eve was her name. She said they'd been friends for a long time and that Eve had invited her camping with her family. I saw no harm in that and was happy to see she was making friends so we agreed to it. There wasn't anything suspicious about it."

"That's a good place to start." Kate said as she jotted down Eve's name, "Did you get Eve's last name?"

"Yes, it's Simpson." Roger said quickly, "I remember because it was the same name as the new bank manager at the time."

"Thanks." Kate smiled, "Now, is there anything you can remember about this Eve person? Was there anything strike you as odd or strange about her? Did you ever see her again after the trip? Did Fred ever mention her again?"

Trish stood silent for a moment, unsure if she should say something, but finally did, "Well, I'm not sure if this is strange, but Eve was...I don't the word to use, but she seemed much more...oh this is silly...she seemed very sexual. Oh my, I can't believe I said that."

"Trish, for god sakes alive woman, must you use such language in front of a stranger." Roger scolded.

"It's the truth Roger and you know it. We discussed this when we met Eve." Trish pointed out as she stared back at Roger.

"It ain't no business of Kate what some harlot did to our sweet little girl." Roger shouted and then turned away.

"Okay, you're losing me here. What exactly did Eve do to Fred?" Kate asked, looking right at Trish.

"First, I want to make it clear that we are not judging anyone, but it was a surprise to say the least when we caught Fred and Eve together."

"Together?" Kate said, hoping for more clarification.

"We saw them...kissing." Trish said, finally getting the words out, "Not once, but three times while Eve was here. It was a shock is all."

Kate held in a smile as she looked back at Trish, "I see. well, did you ever talk to Fred about this when she got back?"

"Of course not. What kind of question is that?" Roger said loudly, "Our Winifred was a sweet innocent young girl and she was obviously taken advantage of by that hussy. Now, if that's all, I've got some hay to bail."

"Yes, it is time I left." Kate said as she got to her feet, "Thank you for all your help. I'm sorry if some of the questions were a bit too personal."

"That's quite alright miss." Trish said as she escorted Fred to the front door, "If you find anything about Fred please let us know. I just want her to be safe and happy."

Kate smiled and turned towards the front door, but her eye caught a picture above the fireplace and she stopped and had a closer look. She picked it up and smiled, "This is beautiful. Who did this?"

Trish walked up beside Kate and looked over her shoulder, "Oh yes, Fred loved that picture. She brought it home from school one day and I've never seen her happier in my life. She told us it was done by an artist at school and she loved how it turned out she made us keep it so she wouldn't lose it. Every day she'd come home from school and sit and smile at that picture. It was wonderful to see her so happy."

Kate sat the picture back on the fireplace and smiled at the Burkle's, "I will let you know if I find anything." Kate said as she walked out the door and got in her car.

** Riley's lab.**

Riley walked into another secure room and sat down across from Gunn. "So, what brings you here?"

"I think you know what." Gunn said with a cocky smile, "Spike. Angelus. The slayers. Wolfram & Hart. You name it, I've got propositions about all of the above."

"Okay, let's take them one at time." Riley said, sitting back in his chair, "What about Spike? He's gone from my program. Which means the slate is clean and the next time I seem him, I'll kill him. Anything else to add?"

"Oh I've got plenty to add." Gunn replied, "First, we have no use for Spike either, so maybe we could work out a deal if I bring him back to you."

"I highly doubt you could bring Spike back on your own and secondly, Spike is not a big concern of mine right now. He'll bring his sorry ass back to me soon enough. I guess my answer is; I have no need to deal when it comes to Spike."

"Fair enough." Gunn shrugged and changed the topic, "There's been some talk that Angelus has switched sides. I can't confirm that, but if he has, I am sure you don't want him working with you any more than we do."

"I've heard that rumor to. It just doesn't affect me. From what I hear, he's be working with the council not me. If they want to risk their lives trusting that SOB, that's their business. If he comes around me, I'll kill him. He's still a vampire and I have no use for him. Now this getting boring. If you have nothing interesting to offer me you can leave now before I lose patience and find other uses for you in my lab."

Gunn got to his feet, "Oh, are you threatening me science boy?"

"I don't make threats." Riley said, staring right back at Gunn. "I mean seriously Gunn, you're in my lab, in a secure room, it wouldn't take much to keep you here. Now, I didn't say I would, I said if you keep boring me, I'd find other uses. You can either leave now or tell me something interesting."

"You don't know me as well you think. But, that's for another day." Gunn said, cryptic about what he meant. "For now, I have one last proposition. It concerns Wolfram & Hart. I want them eliminated. I know you do. I'd be willing to help with any offensive you were willing to make on them."

"Again, you seem to be under the impression that I need your help with anything. You are wrong. Now you can get out. Next time you show up here, you won't be leaving. Have a nice day." Riley got up, pushed a button on his chair and four armed guards stormed into the room.

"Escort Mr. Gunn off the premises." Riley said as he tapped Gunn on the shoulders and led him out of the room. "Oh and shoot to kill if he puts up any kind of fight."

"I thought you were smarter than this Riley. You never know when you'll need an ally." Gunn said, still sporting his big smile, "Even the bad kind can prove valuable. But, that's fine, your call, I'm sure we'll meet again."

Oz came running into the room. Stopped and waited for Gunn to be out of sight and rushed over to Riley, "I found out who sabotaged our signal. It was Spike, the real Spike."

"How's that possible?" Riley asked; his face almost white with surprise. "He was confined to his quarters. There were no electrical items in his room."

"I'm not sure how he did it, but the video shows him manipulating two pieces of wire with the light socket. Now, it would still take some knowledge of an electrician to pull off something like this." Oz said, pulling out a folder and handing it to Riley, "This brings me to my next bit of bad news. I've found the technician who helped Spike pull this off."

Riley grabbed the folder and read the name at the top of the page, "Mason? He's been with us since day one. Why? You do have him in custody right?"

"Yes, he's in the white room." Oz said, "I spoke to him briefly, but he wasn't in a talking mood. I figure you can help him with that. Looking over his back account, there were three large deposits of $50,000 over the last three weeks, so it seems he did for the usual reason, greed."

"This pisses me off." Riley said. His face filled with rage. "I don't have time to baby-sit all these people. If I can't trust them then we're doomed to fail."

"I think you're missing the point though." Oz said, trying to stress the positive. "We know who did this. We know who helped. Now we can work on ways of preventing this. It's probably a good thing this happened. It shows what we need to work on improving."

Riley exhaled as he listened to Oz's pitch, "Perhaps you're right. How's the budget coming? Do we have enough to give these people raises? I hate to think money buys loyalty, but it can't hurt. I need to talk to Mason now."

**End of Chapter 23.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24.**

**Sunnydale High School Library.**

Wesley returned to the library to find Giles and Darla talking, "Hello everyone."

"Hello Wesley." Giles said.

"Hi Wes. Long time no see." Darla said as she gave Wes a big hug.

"Yes, it's great to see you again." Wesley said, smiling back at Darla, "How's your new calling working out?"

"Not so good really." Darla said with cute little smile, "That's what I was talking to Giles about. I don't think I will be working for the powers above any longer."

"Why's that?" Wesley asked as he sat down beside Giles.

Darla nervously paced back and forth in front of the table, searching for the best way to explain her situation, "Well, I broke the first rule. I fell in love with the person I was entrusted to protect."

"How can that be? You were protecting Harmony right? So..." Wesley stopped in mid sentence, looked at Giles who was giving him a strange look and then over at Darla who was looking at him like he should have caught on by now and he finally smiled, "Ah, I see. That is quite an interesting development."

"I'd call it a disaster." Darla said, adding her two cents, "The worst part is they feel Harmony is going to betray me and become a major player on the other side of our fight. They are wrong though and when they wanted to keep Harmony with them, I bolted. Now I'm sort of on the run."

"Darla, you must realize that we work closely with the powers and this is not going to sit well with the council either." Giles said, getting to his feet, "Is there any way you can repair the damages? They are big on sorry's, so why not give that a try."

"No!" Darla yelled, "They only see things one way, they are not going to change their minds. They are so stubborn it makes me so mad."  
Wesley stepped forward, "Just to play devil's advocate for a moment; what if they are right about Harmony? What then? Are you willing to sacrifice everyone for this girl?"

"THEY ARE NOT RIGHT!" Darla yelled even louder this time, "Does my word mean nothing? I'm the one who knows her. I have spent all the time with her. I'm the one who has the best sense of what she's capable of. I find it insulting that my opinion counts for so little in the one thing I know the most about."

Giles looked at Darla as if she'd gone mad, "Calm down Darla, that is no way to gain respect. I don't mean to add to your situation here and I'm only trying to see this from all sides, but being in love with someone has been known to affect a person's judgment. They don't say love is blind for no reason. I do wonder if it's possible you are too close to Harmony to see that side of her."

"Why is everyone doubting me? God, this is so unfair." Darla said, her face growing sad as she took a seat, "I thought love was supposed to make us stronger? That's fine, but I will never agree. I am not stupid. I am not blind. I happen to love everything about Harmony. All her quirks and that includes good and bad things. It's not like any of us is perfect, so why should she have to be? Seriously, is there anything I can say that can prove Harmony will never betray me? No, probably not, but there's also nothing you can say that can prove she will either. So why not just give me the benefit of the doubt?"

"I wish it were that simple Darla, but you of all people should know it's not. If it was just you involved, nobody would interfere, but we have to take this threat seriously." Giles said, trying to remain calm, "Why do the powers above believe Harmony will betray you? They must have their reasons? Did you ask what they were?"

"No, are you crazy. That would mean I doubt Harmony and I don't. I don't need to hear lies about her. I don't and I won't." Darla said, arguing her case as best she could.

"I do say that was very unwise." Giles said, clearly not pleased with what he'd just heard, "If they have something that would explain their actions, it is best we hear it. Don't you think it would help if you knew what they are afraid of? It might give you a different perspective."

Darla looked at Giles like he was from mars, "I don't need a different perspective! Have you not heard a word I've said? I love Harmony. I trust her. Nothing bad is going to happen. If you want to go hear what they are whining about, go ahead, but I am warning you, if you side with them and try and take Harmony from me you will all be sorry. I don't want to be an enemy of anyone, I don't, but you are backing me into a corner. I will have no choice but to fight back. "

"Please do not make threats like that." Giles said with a menacing glare, "It can only lead to bad feelings and mistrust. I'm going to talk to Alistair and Airlia and get to the bottom of this."

"God, doesn't anyone believe me?" Darla pleaded.

There was silence as Wesley and Giles looked at each other, neither willing to give Darla the answer she wanted.

"I do." Xander said as he rushed to Darla's defense.

"You don't even know what she said young man." Wesley said as he watched Xander comfort Darla.

"I know all I need to know. I believe in Darla. It's that simple." Xander declared valiantly.

"Xander, I really appreciate your support, but I don't think this is the best time for you to be here." Darla said as delicately as she could.

"Why? I don't need to know what this is about. I'm just here for you." Xander said, hugging Darla, who slowly pulled away.

Darla took Xander out into the hall, "Listen, there's something I need to tell you before you hear it from someone else."

"Oh there you are my little cutie pie." Harmony said with a big smile just before she gave Darla a big wet kiss, very aware of Xander's presence.

Xander stood in awe as he watched them kiss until Darla pulled back and looked at him, "Xander, let me explain."

"I'm not blind. I don't think I need an explanation. Well, I sure hope she can make you happy, because I know I could've. You take care." Xander said softly as he walked down the long corridor.

Harmony felt a huge amount of guilt seep into her body and she ran after Xander. "Wait."

Xander turned slowly to see Harmony standing in front of him, "Hey, you won. Good for you."

"No, that's not what I was going to say." Harmony said, "I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm not really a bad person. I know I teased you before, but I was just jealous and I'm sorry. Darla still loves me and that means so much to me. I would never hurt her."

"You better not. If you do, you'll answer to me." Xander said trying to look as menacing as he could.

"Oh Xander, you're almost cute when you get all manly and protective." Harmony said with a chipper smile, "So, did you want to come to dinner with us? We're having a big celebration at The Bronze tonight."

"Are you insane? I just lost the girl of my dreams to...oh god I can't even say it." Xander paused, refusing to utter Harmony's name.

"I understand. You aren't much of a dancer, so that's cool. Well, I gotta go. Sorry how this worked out, but you'll find the right girl soon. I know you will. Oh look, she's hot, go after her." Harmony said, pointing to a young girl walking past them in the hallway.

Xander gave Harmony yet another look of disbelief, "I'd love to know what Darla sees in you. Anyway, I should get back to Buffy's. I've got some work to do there. Saving the world never ends ya know. Tell Darla, well, tell her I'll see her around."

"Bye." Harmony said, waving to Xander as he walked out of the school.

Darla walked up to Harmony once she saw Xander leave, "How did he take it?"

"Oh, he was hurt, but he tried to hide it, but even I could tell he was really sad."

"I knew this was going to happen, but I know he'll be okay in time." Darla said, her hand sliding around Harmony's waist, "He's young and resilient and, I hope he has something to keep his mind of this for awhile. That always helps, right?"

"I guess, but he said he was going to Buffy's to help save the world or something. Anyway..."

"What did you say?" Darla asked loudly, "He's going to Buffy's? I don't want him mixed up in all this. God, we need to get over there and talk to him."

"I don't understand. I thought Buffy was one of the good ones." Harmony questioned, once again totally confused.

Darla took Harmony by the hand and rushed out of the school. "Yes, but she's a slayer and can handle the danger, Xander isn't. He's just asking for trouble being around her. He's already been hurt emotionally today, I don't need to see him hurt physically to."

**Cordelia Chase's house.**

Cordelia arrived at a large fancy home in the most luxurious part of Sunnydale. Parking the car, she got out, walked around and met Willow and then led the way up the winding pathway until they made it to the front door of the huge estate.

Using a key, Cordelia opened the front door and led Willow through two large rooms before coming to an even larger dining room. Willow was smiling and in awe as she looked around the beautiful room. Candles were strategically placed on either side of the table, the music was soft and romantic and the lights were dimmed just enough to set the perfect mood.

"What do you think? Do you like?" Cordy asked, stepping up behind Willow and putting her arms around her tummy.

"It's beautiful. I don't know what to say. I've seen anything like this. Well, except in the movies. I love it." Willow said, gushing as she continued to take it all in.

"Good, but I have one more surprise before we dine. Come with me Miss Rosenberg." Cordy said as she took Willow's hand.

"Where are we going?" Willow asked as she happily followed Cordy's lead.

"You'll see." Cordy smiled and then began the long climb up the longest stairway this side of Hollywood.

At the top of the stairs, Cordelia walked towards the first room on the left, opened the door and motioned for Willow to enter.

"Me?" Willow asked with a smile.

"Yes you." Cordy replied.

Willow walked into the bedroom and once again was in awe at the beauty and elegance of the room. Everything sparkled, from the large chandelier above, to the perfectly polished furniture to the dazzling array of ornaments and spectacular sculptures that sat on the many hand crafted shelving units.

"I'm speechless." Willow said as she continued to spin in a circle and take everything in, "Is this your bedroom?"

"Oh no, this is one the many guest rooms in the house." Cordy then walked into the bathroom smiled and crooked her finger for Willow to come have a look.

With her smile growing wide, Willow hurried towards Cordelia and stepped inside the bathroom. The look on her eyes was priceless as she once again stood in awe at the size and beauty of the room.

Cordelia couldn't stop smiling as she watched Willow's child like expressions as she walked around the gigantic bathroom, smiling and touching everything in sight. As Willow stepped up to the shower, Cordelia blocked her path, "Not so fast. This is my next surprise. But, you have to close your eyes first."

Willow grinned, closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the shower door opening. After some minor rustling by Cordelia, she heard the words, "You can open your eyes now."

"OMG!" Willow said as her eyes opened and focused on what was in front of her. Grabbing one of the dresses from the makeshift rack and held it up against her body, "These are all so beautiful. I can't wear one though. I'm not a model."

"Oh, if you weren't so adorable I'd strangle you for saying that." Cordelia said, "You're more beautiful than any model. I wish you knew that. I'll keep saying it until you start listening to me."

Willow blushed and smiled, "You're spoiling me and I think I like it a little too much." She said as she stepped down from the bathtub and back onto the floor beside Cordy, "Do you really want me to wear one of these?"

"Yes, of course. I wanted you to have all these choices, so you could pick the one you liked the best." Cordy said as she walked towards the bathroom door, "You take your time and I'm going to change and I'll meet you downstairs when you're ready."

"Okay...thanks, I hope I don't take too long." Willow said; looking back at all the dresses she had to pick from.

"You take as long as you want. I'll be waiting." Cordy smiled and closed the door behind her.

Willow climbed back into the bathtub, looked over each and every dress before picking the one she liked the best. After making her choice, she nervously put on the designer dress, turned and looked into the mirror.

Pulling her hands away from her eyes, Willow saw herself for the first time and as she turned from side to side, she couldn't help but smile at how she looked. It was her first evening gown and most certainly her first body hugging dress. Pink with white lace trimming and chiffon strips running up and down the length of the gown.

With a low cut top and plunging neckline, it was the sexiest thing she'd ever worn in her life, but the more she looked at how perfectly it fit her body, the more confident she became.

Taking a deep breath, Willow took one last look in the mirror and then made her way back down the long stairway, through a couple more corridors before stopping at the entrance as she saw Cordelia standing looking out over a balcony.

From the back, Cordelia looked like a goddess, her long dark hair flowing in the wind as she tossed her head back and turned to see Willow watching her every move. Cordelia moved towards Willow, her sexy white dress hugging her curvaceous body every step of the way.

"Wow, you look stunning in that dress." Cordelia said; her mouth wide open as she took in every inch of Willow's sexy dress.

"You like?" Willow questioned, as she looked down at her cleavage and quickly folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh god yes." Cordelia gushed and then smiled at Willow, "you really have no idea how sexy you are do you? I think that's what makes you even sexier to me. Your innocence is such a turn on."

"I don't feel innocent in this dress." Willow said with a sexy grin.

"Well, you look all grown up to me. It's a very good look for you." Cordelia said as she stepped even closer to Willow.

Willow stopped and had a closer look at Cordelia's very sexy dress. Walking in a circle around her, enjoying every sexy curve and every tanned inch of her gorgeous skin that was fully displayed in the skintight dress she was wearing.

"Wow, I hate to steal your word, but wow is all I can say. That is some dress." Willow said, doing her best to keep her eyes from lingering on Cordy's breasts, "I can't think of anyone who would look as sexy as you do in it."

"Well thank you." Cordelia said, "You don't think it's too revealing?"

"No, it's going to be very hard to keep my eyes off you, but I have that problem no matter what you wear." Willow said, proud of how she'd handled the tricky question.

"You are so sweet." Cordelia said and then took Willow's hand and led her to the exquisite dining table.

With a table filled with gourmet foods, the two girls had a spectacular meal, talking and laughing throughout. Upon retiring to the terrace, Cordelia brought out two glasses of wine and sat down beside Willow. "Did you enjoy the meal?"

"Oh yes, it was amazing, just like everything else tonight." Willow said and then took a sip of the red wine.

"Good, I'm glad you are having a good time." Cordy said, relieved to hear Willow's answer, "I was so nervous today. I wanted everything to be perfect and I think with your help, I've come close."

"I didn't do anything, but I'm really happy I came. I'm having a great time. All thanks to you." Willow said, gazing into Cordelia's eyes yet again.

Cordelia met Willow's gaze, smiled back at her and then sat down her glass, got to her feet and walked over and stood in front of her, "Would you like to dance?"

Willow took Cordy's outstretched hand and got to her feet with a big smile covering her face, "I'd love to."

As if by design, the music began playing as the two girls moved in closer, put their hands around each other and soon were swaying to the music. It was slow song after slow song as they began moving as one, hips rubbing against each other, breasts pushing against each other and the heat in the room rising fast as they shared their first kiss of the night.

It was a slow and tender kiss, both girls relaxed and at ease as they slowed to a halt and began kissing harder and deeper and oh so passionately. Hands were sliding up and down each others back and down over their asses and it was Willow who slid her left hand up the front of Cordy's designer dress, cupping as much of her full breast as she could, amazed at how warm and firm they were.

Cordy was moaning louder as Willow began rubbing her nipple with her thumb, and then moved her right hand up and with one quick motion slid the whole top of Cordy's dress down to her waist.

With her large breasts in clear view, Willow leaned down and anxiously began licking her hard perky nipples. She was moving slowly at first, savoring every moment, every smell, taste and sensation as she moved from one nipple to the next, as her pulse flew into overdrive.

Cordy held Willow's head close to her chest, moaning and squealing as Willow ravaged her amazing breasts. With her free hand, she managed to step out of her dress and kick it to the side, feeling incredibly turned on to be standing naked in front of Willow once more.

Willow sucked each of Cordy's nipples deep into her mouth, looking up at Cordy's face and smiling at the look of delight on Cordy's eyes; she knew it was exactly what Cordy wanted.

Just as Willow had begun to kiss her way down Cordelia's soft, yet toned tummy, Cordelia grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to her feet. Pulling her close, she kissed Willow hard and deep, their tongues exploring each other's mouths vigorously as their hands slid up and down each other's bodies.

Cordelia broke the kiss and helped Willow to the ground and within seconds had removed her sexy pink dress and tossed it far, far away. With the sight of Willow's naked body only inches away, Cordy crawled down on top of her and began kissing her again.

The kisses were wild and passionate and full of raw emotion as Cordy pulled away from Willow's soft lips and kissed her way down the soft smooth skin of her neck, down her shoulders and finally to her small round breasts.

Willow was lost in the moment, her eyes closed as she felt Cordy's breath on her nipple followed by her tongue and then mouth and soon she felt her nipple disappear deep into Cordy's warm mouth.

With both hands cupping Willow's perky breasts, Cordy squeezed them together and moved rapidly from one hard nipple to the next, licking, sucking, nibbling and even gently biting each one as fast as she could.

It was the beginning of a long and passionate night of lovemaking, where Cordelia was finally able to express to Willow physically what she'd been feeling in her heart for so long.

When she was finished, Willow was positively glowing as she lay back and tried to catch her breath.

Cordelia smiled up at Willow and put her hand on the side of her cheek, "You're so beautiful. I don't think I've ever been happier."

"I feel the same way, but I'm not finished yet." Willow said as she moved down to Cordy's large breasts, "I want to make you feel the same way you made me feel." With that, Willow smiled and began to return the favor to Cordy.

**End of Chapter 24**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**Watchers Council Underground facility.  
**

Buffy sat in a small chair in a very big waiting room, looking at her watch and getting angrier by the second, "It's been 30 minutes and still nothing. I think we better go find this Bannam character on our own."

"I'm up for it. I've never been much good at waiting." Faith said as she hopped to her feet.

Fred stepped between the two slayers, "I know you're both anxious to help, but let's go talk to someone first. If we don't get any answers then I'm with you and we can start looking for him."

"Okay, but I'm not getting a good feeling about this." Buffy said, and then followed Fred to the front desk.

Pushing the small bell, Fred waited until an attractive woman came out of the back room and walked towards her, "May I help you?"

"Yes, we were waiting for Mr. Bannam and were told he'd be out to see us about 20 minutes ago. Do you know if he's still in the building?" Fred asked, smiling as best she could.

The woman punched some keys on her computer and then looked back at Fred, "It says here that he's not to be disturbed. There's an emergency meeting and all the managers are involved. I can leave him a message if you like."

"No, I would not like." Fred said, her voice much louder than normal, "I'm escorting Rupert Giles' two daughters to a special meeting with Mr. Bannam and I do not believe the head of the Watchers Council will be pleased if his daughters traveled all this way for nothing. Now, where is the meeting?"

"I'm really sorry, but I just work here. Honestly." The woman said, obviously shook up by Fred's tone.

"What room is the meeting in?" Buffy said, doing her best to look angry, but having a tough time since she could barely see the woman since the counter was so high.

Faith walked around and stood beside the now terrified woman, "Hi there. I'm Faith. You were about to give us the room number to that meeting."

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to get fired." The woman said, "Oh here, just look at the screen and go."

Stepping in front of the woman, Faith looked down at the computer and smiled as she saw the room number blinking on the screen. Smiling at the woman, she walked back around to the front of the counter, "I've got it. Room 250, it's in the East Wing."

"Good, that's a start, but I need someone here to watch Dawn." Buffy said, regretting bringing her sister along.

"I'm fine. I have Sigmund and I can sit and wait for you guys." Dawn said and then waved her hand around the lobby area, "I mean, look around, there's nobody here, it's not like I can get into trouble."

"I'm not worried about you getting into trouble; I'm worried about that mouthy little pet of yours." Buffy said, giving Sigmund the evil eye.

"Oh bite me tiny one." Sigmund said as he leaned towards Buffy, "Oh, so you're a fake blonde to. Surprising, you seem like the poster girl for dumb blondes."

"Dawn! If you do not put a muzzle on this...thing, it's going to have a very unfortunate accident one day. I'm thinking zoo, elephants and a squishing sound. Capiche?"

Dawn pushed Sigmund into his cage and slammed the door on him, "He's learning." she said and then saw Buffy's face, "Okay, very slowly, but I'm trying. He just doesn't know what he's saying. I'll teach him some nice words while you go that meeting, okay?"

"You better." Buffy said and then gave Dawn a big hug, "You just wait here and we'll hurry back."

Dawn ushered Buffy away, "Okay, go, I'm fine."

Fred, Buffy and Faith made their way through the large building until they found the sign for the East Wing. Turning left, they walked through a series of doors until the came across room 200.

Looking both left and right, they opted to keep going left and after a lengthy walk, they finally came to room 250. It was much larger than the others they'd seen and had four armed guards standing outside.

"Why is there so much security for a meeting with a bunch of doctors?" Fred said, stopping just before they turned the corner.

"Maybe it's not just doctors in the meeting. With security like this there has to be something big going on inside." Buffy said, "The question is what."

"Only one way to find out." Faith said, "We have to get into that meeting. So, before I jump in with my plan, does anyone else have a suggestion?"

"Be my guest, as long as you're sharing the plan, all is well." Buffy said as she rested against the wall.

"Good, as I see it, there are two ways to get into that room. We can just kick some ass and barge right in or we can try a subtle approach."

Fred listened to Buffy and Faith and decided it was time to suggest her idea, "I was thinking maybe we could try and throw Rupert's name around and see if we get lucky. If it doesn't work, you can kick their asses."

Buffy and Faith both laughed at Fred's idea, but figured it was worth a shot.

After adjusting her hair and checking her outfit, Fred walked towards the guards. As expected, one guard turned and blocked her path, "You are in a secure area. You will have to leave."

"Actually, I'm late for the meeting." Fred said, sounding very authoritative, "Rupert Giles, who is my boss, asked me to bring the two slayers to the meeting as soon as possible. Well, here we are. Now I'd appreciate it if you would step aside please and let us in."

The guard turned to the other three and they all shrugged their shoulders, "We'll have to verify this first. Wait here." He then turned and knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

Moments later the door opened and the guard began explaining the situation to whomever he was talking to. After a long pause, someone stuck their head out and took a look at Fred. It was Giles.

"Giles!" Fred said loudly as she waved towards him.

Stepping out from inside the room, Giles smiled at Fred and walked towards her, "What are you doing here?"

"We were here visiting my birth mother." Fred explained, trying to pry her arm free from Giles' grip, "I was told to meet Mr. Bannam but he never showed. Here we are."

"This is not a good time." Giles said, not hiding his annoyance one bit.

"What is going on in there?" Fred said with a whisper.

"I can't talk now. Just go and I'll fill you all in later." Giles said, taking Fred by the arm and leading her back to Buffy and Faith, "Go. This is not your concern right now."

"Nice try, dad, but we're not going anywhere until we see Bannam." Buffy said as she pushed Giles away from Fred.

Faith jumped into the mix, "Let's not forget we are going to this meeting with you. So, lead on boss."

"You are being highly irresponsible; all of you. I will not tell you this again. You must leave immediately." Giles said, his voice noticeably rising as he gave each girl the same steely-eyed glare.

"Please Giles; I just want to speak with the Bannam about my birth mother." Fred said, trying her best to get through to Giles.

Before Giles could respond a man stepped out of the meeting and turned to see what the commotion was, "What seems to be the hold up Giles? We are about to discuss my terms. I'm sure you don't want to be late for that, do you?"

"I'll be right there." Giles said in a much more pleasant tone.

"Don't be rude old boy; introduce me to the beautiful young ladies." The man said as he strolled towards everyone.

Giles, noticeably irritated by the man's presence, held it in as the man walked up beside him, "Yes, of course. Buffy, Faith, Fred, this is an old acquaintance of mine, Ethan Rayne."

"I'm delighted to meet all of you." He said as he kissed each girl's hand, "Let me see if I have you all straight. Fred, you are the science major. I've read a lot about you and I can see you have a bright future with the council. Buffy and Faith are the chosen two. I must say you are as beautiful as you are talented. I know Sunnydale will be a safer place with you patrolling these dangerous streets or is it crypts? No bother, it's just a treat to you meet you all."

"Who is the nut?" Faith said as she wiped her hand against her jacket.

"Faith, that's no way to talk to someone you just met. Now apologize this instant." Giles said, way more annoyed than he should be.

"Chill out Giles." Faith snapped back.

"Yes Giles, it's perfectly fine. It's great that the young woman speaks her mind so freely. It makes for less hidden agenda's when there are no words left unspoken. It's how it should be." Ethan said as he smiled at Faith.

"Well, it's time to get back to the meeting. I will see you three later." Giles said, once again giving the three girls the evil eye.

Buffy stepped in front of the two men, "I was just wondering if Ethan would mind if we sat in on the meeting? Being slayers and all, I think it might be very informative. Don't you agree Giles?"

Giles was fuming inside while Ethan was loving every second of this little exchange and made no bones about it. "I dare say the girl has a point old boy. They are the future and this meeting is all about the future isn't it? I vote yes to letting you sit in."

"It would seem I'm outvoted on this, so if that's how it's going to be, then let's get back in there and iron out the details." Giles said, gritting his teeth as he stormed back into the room.

Ethan followed and the three girls stopped just outside the door.

"I'm starting to think this is a bad idea. I've never seen Giles so angry in my life." Fred said, "Well, not that I have seen him a lot, but I have talked to him numerous times and even though he can seem abrupt or blunt, he's not usually so scary. What if we aren't meant to be here after all?"

"I think the fact he's this upset is exactly why we should be here. If he's keeping things from us how can we trust him? I want to know what the big secret is." Buffy said in a whisper as another man walked out of the room to have a look around.

"Let's just go." Faith said impatiently and then walked into the room.

Buffy and Fred followed and none of them were prepared for what they saw.

From the outside, the room looked huge, but when they get inside they soon discovered it wasn't simply a room, but a small stadium, set up much like an extra large courtroom.

It was divided into two very distinct sections. One side featured primarily all humans, while the other side was an array of demons, vampire's and other assorted beings. In front of the two sections were two separate tables, again one for humans and the other for the demons. At the head of the room was a 30-foot high head table with 13 individuals acting as judges. Six humans, 6 demons and one unknown in the middle.

Giles was acting as a lawyer for the humans, while Ethan Rayne was the only human looking person on the demon's side of the room. Buffy, Faith and Fred took a seat as close to the front as possible.

"Attention. This meeting is called to order." Said the figure at the top middle of the large table. "Mr. Giles, you had the floor when we were interrupted, please continue."

"Thank you Lord Carrmaleous." Giles said as he bowed to the strange looking being. "As I was saying, we at the Watchers Council believe drastic measures need to be taken to keep Ethan Rayne locked up where he belongs. He's only here because he escaped from prison in the first place. The very fact we're considering his absurd offer is preposterous. His history of evil is well documented, and I can't stress this enough, trusting him is like committing suicide."

Ethan Rayne stood up and addressed the room. "Good day Lord Carrmaleous, you're looking wonderfully healthy again. I'm pleased to see that you weren't hurt in that awful assassination attempt last week. Let me begin by saying Rupert Giles makes a compelling argument for his side, but what he leaves out are the benefits my proposal will have on all mankind, as well as my demon friends. I realize it is a lot to take in at one time, but my proposal is the only way the human race will survive. I'll see to that. If you join with me, we can work together to make this a peaceful place for all to live in."

The man on the far left of the 13-man panel stood up, "I am Sir Earl Wilmington III. I would like to ask Mr. Rayne why he believes threatening civilization is an appropriate way to get people to listen to you."

"I would not characterize my proposal as a threat, but merely the truth spelled out in a very forthright manner." Ethan said, is voice bellowing throughout the large building, "We have the ability to destroy you humans and while it could prove to be a fruitless battle that ends in the destruction of your planet, we always have alternate realities to fall back on. So, even if you destroyed most, if not all of us, your planet would be in ruin, your world in chaos and I don't believe that's a risk you're willing to take. I bring this offer to you as an offering of peace, not war. I wish to work with you, but there will have to be many changes for this to work."

Giles got to his feet, waited to be acknowledged, and began to speak, "Sir Wilmington III brings up a very good point. Ethan Rayne has no desire to share this world with anyone; he simply wants our help in destroying it bit by bit so he doesn't have to. What he hasn't told you, is he has no leverage right now. He's hoping fear will make you all act irrationally and give in to his self-serving proposal. I submit we take Mr. Rayne back to his cell and let him serve the rest of his life sentence and be done with this absurdity for good."

"I warned you not to take this type of stand Giles. As a former friend, I was giving you the courtesy of having a choice in your outcome, but I see that's not going to work." Ethan turned away from Giles and faced the panel, "In light of these developments I am withdrawing my offer from the table. I know longer feel the need to include you in my plans. Let me assure you, this is not over. When you see me next, you will fully grasp the gravity of your mistake."

Lord Carrmaleous stood up, "Order. Order!. I'm sorry Mr. Rayne but I have no other option but to have you remanded to custody and forced to serve out the remainder of your sentence. Guards, take him away."

Four guards walked briskly towards Ethan and the first two grabbed him by the arm and led him through the courtroom. About half way through Ethan stopped and looked back at Giles, "Do you really think I'd let this happen? You are a fool." And with that, he tossed some powder into the air and the room filled with smoke and dust and when it all faded, Ethan was nowhere in sight.

Guards rushed around looking for any sign of him, but found nothing.

Moments later there was a large laughing sound heard over the loudspeakers, "Giles, you disappoint me. I didn't expect it to be so easy. Oh and I will be back and I want you to know that you are personally responsible for the death that is coming. Oh and one other thing, I do love your youngest daughter Dawn. She's so sweet. I'm sorry she can't talk right now, but maybe later. Buffy, I know you can hear me, I'm after you next. Yes I am. Giles will watch you all die. It's his own fault. And Faith, Fred, if you want to change sides, now's the time. Just leave me a message and I will find you. Don't go down with the ship, I have big plans for the both of you. Say hi to mommy Fred. Bye now."

"Oh my god, he's got Dawn." Buffy screamed and then ran out of the room and through the endless corridors until she got back to the main lobby. Looking around in a hurried state, she searched everywhere and yet there was no sign of Dawn around, "No. This can't be happening. I can't lose her. I won't."

Faith, Fred and Giles helped in the search, but nobody turned up a thing as they gathered in the middle of the room to comfort Buffy.

"We'll find her. I promise you that." Faith said as she put her arms around Buffy.

"Why on earth did you bring her here?" Giles said, both angry and afraid, "I should never have left your house. I will not make that mistake again. When we find Dawn, and we will find her, I am moving in and that's final."

"Giles, can I talk to you over here." Fred said as she pulled Giles away from the two girls, "What are you doing? Buffy did not do this. God, Ethan Rayne did. Can't you see that she's devastated by this? I don't care how mad you are, you will not take it out on Buffy. Now, we need to stick together right now. Emotions are high, but blame is not the answer."

Taking a moment to compose himself, Giles walked back over to Buffy, "I'm sorry for what I said. It's not your fault. I just want to bring her back safely."

"You're right though, I should never have left her alone." Buffy said as she looked up at Giles with tears running down her face, "I know Ethan did this, but I sure helped make it easy. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to her. Never."

"Please don't say that B. Do not let some nut make you doubt yourself." Faith said, constantly running her fingers through Buffy's blonde hair. "We'll find her. There's nothing we can't do, right?"

Buffy managed a weak smile, "Right."

"Well good, let's get to work. I will not let them hurt Dawn. Whatever it takes, that's what I'll do." Faith said, doing her best to cheer Buffy up.

"I know you will." Buffy said as she looked deep into Faith's eyes, "I believe you. That's why I know everything will be okay."

"Okay, let's get back to the house and we can figure out what to do next." Giles said as he led the girls back outside.

**End of Chapter 25**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**Wolfram & Hart's board room in limbo between life and death.**

Angel used one of his rare portal gems to gain entrance to the secret world of the top bosses of Wolfram & Hart. Covered in lava, it would kill most any human in a matter of minutes, but with the ring of Amarra safely on his finger, Angel was immune and able to walk freely though the dimly lit entrance.

To the north was the only door. It wasn't like an ordinary door, because it moved as Angel got close. Unsure of what he was dealing with Angel slowly moved towards the door. As he got within 10 feet, the door came alive, turning into a large warrior, who promptly attacked him with a razor sharp spear.

Dodging the first blow, Angel danced around the room, trying to figure out whether the creature was human, demon or something completely different. After stepping out of the way of numerous swipes of the creature's pointy spear, Angel made his first offensive move and snapped a right jab in the creatures face.

A searing pain shot through his body as he grabbed his hand, "What are you and how can I get past?"

"Only in defeat shall I let you through." The creature said as it lunged at Angel once more.

"Fine, then death it shall be." Angel said as he morphed into vampire mode.

Looking for the right opportunity, Angel flew at the warrior, knocking it to the ground. The warrior hopped to his feet in a flash and took two vicious swipes at Angel, catching him on the left arm with one swing. Angry that he'd been hit, Angel lunged forward again, grabbing the warrior by the waist and tossing him across the room. Jumping on top the warrior, Angel grabbed him around the neck and began punching him furiously in the face.

Seemingly immune to such damage, the warrior kicked Angel off to the side and jumped back to his feet. "You can't kill me. Give up and you will live. Keep going and I will kill you."

"Thanks for the heads up, now shut up and die." Angel said, once again being the aggressor as he exchanged punches, kicks and witty insults with the warrior for well over 15 minutes, with nothing to show for his efforts.

Frustrated by his lack of success, Angel continued searching for a weakness; grabbing the spear from the ground he began jabbing at the warrior, but each time he hit him it was like hitting steel and the spear would do no damage.

Studying the warrior closer, Angel discovered a tiny red dot just under the shoulder armor on his left bicep. It looked strangely out of place and as Angel moved around to avoid the warrior's attack, Angel took aim at the red dot and after one miss, he nailed it with his second swing and just as quickly as it had turned into a warrior, it turned back into a door, only this time the door was open.

Relieved to be finished with the childish game, Angel moved through the door and walked down the stairway until he came across another door. Standing outside, almost afraid to open it, he was saved the trouble as the door came to life and Angel had to go through the same ritual again. Each time he had to find the exact spot to disable the warrior and after enduring endless physical pain, he made it through the final door.

Inside the final room stood a large golden altar, set high above a fountain of the purest water in the world. Surrounding the altar were a dozen statues, each one a different color, design, shape and all depicting an ancient Greek God.

After taking in the beauty in front of him, Angel ascended the stairs, stood in front of the altar and looked closer at each of the statues. The first one, Zeus, was a magnificent piece of art; expertly designed, with every detail of the legendary god captured with precision like accuracy.

"Um, hello?" Angel said, waving his hands in front of the large statue.

When nothing happened, he reached out and pulled at the statue with his hands, it moved forward, but nothing else happened. He moved up to each of the statues, pulled them all forward and then the place came alive.

With lights flashing and strange hypnotic music playing loudly throughout the room, a blinding flash stunned Angel and when he opened his eyes, the statues had come to life.

Staring at the 12 people surrounding him, Angel gave them all a smile and a wave, pulled two round tokens from his jacket and held them high in the air, "I have two markers and I'm here to trade them for information."

"We will honor the markers, but now that you have a soul and have left Wolfram & Hart, you are no longer welcome and no further markers will be accepted. Now, please state the nature of your business and be gone." Zeus said, swinging his sword from side to side.

"I'll get right to the point. I am looking for information on Gwen Raiden, specifically why Wolfram & Hart have such a strong interest in her. I have heard about her powers and while they are somewhat intriguing, they are nowhere near the level of what Wolfram & Hart seeks, so I guess it makes me wonder if Gwen isn't being used to get to Lilah, but I fail to see how my assistant warrants such attention. Then again..."

"State your question. We are not here to listen to your theories. If you have something to ask, ask it now." The goddess Hera shouted emphatically.

"Impatient lot aren't ya?" Angel said sarcastically, "Fine, let me word this right. What do Wolfram & Hart want with Lilah Morgan and her sister Gwen Raiden?"

"Very well, the answer you are looking for is hidden in the archives." Zeus said in a brief, concise statement.

"You've gotta be kidding me?" Angel sighed, "I thought this was the archive? I was told this place was like a truth serum and you couldn't lie. Now you better give me a real answer before I lose my patience."

A chorus of laughter broke out in the room and Hera hovered off her pedestal and moved towards Angel, "You are even more insolent with a soul, that's not a good sign. We are not required to explain the answers we provide. You need to do a bit more research before start shooting your mouth off in this room."

"It's wise to listen to her; she can be a ruthless enemy." Zeus said as he moved up beside Hera.

"Thanks for the advice, now back to my question." Angel gave them both a fake smile and then changed back to being pissed, "I want a real answer and not some vague crap. Where is the archive?"

"That would require using your final marker, is that what you wish?" Hera said with a wicked grin.

"I have played enough games to get here; I'm not going to ask again." Angel said, doing his best to hold in his anger.

"And I ask you again, do you wish to use your final marker?" Hera asked, matching Angel's anger step by step.

"This is why I hate dealing with you people; you have more bureaucracy and red tape than humans do." Angel laughed, "I've jumped through enough hoops, if it takes the last marker to get my answer, then so be it. Do not test me again."

"The archive you seek is very close. Beneath the offices of Wolfram & Hart lies a place that only two people, well perhaps I should say two entities have ever seen. If you can penetrate the intense security, the endless stream of demons and make it to the locked vault, you will find your answer. Her file is located in section 22B, box 199. The combination is 9 left, 34 right and 16 left. The password to get past the Rigalo demon that's guarding the vault is Cupcake."

Angel laughed, "Cupcake? Now that's funny. Well, you've been mighty useless, but before I go I have one more question to ask."

"You've used up your markers; you are no longer welcome here." Hera said as she moved back to her pedestal.

"Wrong, I just held up two, I didn't say it was all I had." Angel smirked and tossed another marker up towards Hera, "Tell me what Wolfram & Hart are using to hold Gwen in that nut house?"

Zeus, clearly angered by Angel's ploy, had no choice but to tell him the truth, "That was a nice trick, but you do not make friends by deceiving us. There is a tape that proves Gwen's innocence in the very same place she is being held."

"Thanks. Since I have to use these up now, I might as well use my last marker." Angel said as he tossed it towards Zeus, "I want to know, hmm, just a second, I have so many possible questions here. I always wanted to know how they got the Caramilk inside a Caramilk bar; that is one cool trick. Then again, I've always wanted to know if there was really someone behind the grassy knoll on November 22, 1963. I also wonder if the Red Sox would've won the World Series if not for the infamous fielding blunder by Bill Buckner, but I digress, my final question is who is the CEO, the big boss, the head honcho, the top dog, the grand poobaw, of Wolfram & Hart?"

"You show your true ignorance at times Angelus..."

"I go by Angel now."

"Ah, how fitting; a vampire who killed thousands of humans is now going to save humanity using the name Angel. It has a certain arrogant charm to it, doesn't it my dear." Zeus said as he smiled over at Hera.

"Just answer the question." Angel said, ignoring the verbal jabs as best he could.

"Of course." Zeus said, "It's really no secret and it's astounding that you've never figured it out, but you would eventually. The name you are looking for is Glory."

Angel did a double take, "What? Glory, as in the disgraced god? How'd she get to be head of Wolfram & Hart?"

"Alas Angelus, um, so sorry, Angel, but you've used up all your markers." Hera moved up and stood right in front of Angel, "You're now an enemy and any further attempts to enter this room will be met with a slow and painful death. Have a nice day."

Without warning, Angel was teleported back to the surface.

**Somewhere in Texas  
**

Kate had just spent the last eight hours tracking down Eve Simpson and once she'd located a current address she drove another couple hours to the sleepy town just south of San Antonio.

Entering the city limits was a sign that read, "Welcome to Lacksville USA, population, 411."

It was more like a truck stop than a town, but this was Eve's last known address. Kate got out of her car, stared at the quaint little motel and walked towards the entrance.

Standing in front of the main desk, Kate tapped the small bell with her hand and waited. After about 5 minutes, she tapped the bell again and still nobody came out of the back room, so she walked around behind the counter and opened the back door.

Inside the small room, Kate found a young woman lying on the floor, blood on her head and the floor beside her, so she rushed over and quickly checked for a pulse. When she saw that the woman was alive, she tried to wake her up, but when that didn't work she struggled to get her to her feet and gently lay her on the cot to right side of the room.

Looking around for the bathroom, Kate eventually found a towel and began wiping some dried up blood from the back of the woman's head. Holding her hand, Kate continued to clean the nasty cut on her head, while trying to nudge her awake as gently as she could.

As she removed the blood soaked towel from Eve's head, her cell phone began ringing and Kate hurried to her purse to answer it, "Lockley here."

"Kate, it's Lilah. You left me a message about some information you come across. What is it?"

"I was going to chalk it up to two young lovers sneaking away for the weekend, but I just found the woman Fred was with and she's been hurt pretty bad and I don't believe in coincidences. When she wakes up I'll do my best to get more information, but it looks like she was the victim of a severe warning. My guess is someone doesn't want her talking."

"Did you want me to send someone to help you out? I could come if you want." Lilah said, sitting restlessly in the back of the limo.

"I don't think that will be necessary, at least not right now. You could do me a favor and look up Eve Simpson. If you can find out what she's been up to the last couple years that would really help. Maybe find out who she was associated with back in high school. If this is connected Wolfram & Hart, then we'll know we're on to something." Kate said and then looked over at Eve who had just opened her eyes, "I have to go."

"Kate? Kate? Damn it." Lilah said as she slammed her cell phone down.

Kate moved over and sat beside Eve, "Are you okay? How's your head?"

Eve sat up in the bed and looked at Kate and then around the room, "What happened?"

"I don't know." Kate said shaking her head, "I came to talk to you and found you on the ground bleeding. Who did this to you?"

"I can't remember." Eve said, holding the back of her head and wincing, "Last thing I remember was two men asking about a room and when I turned to look at my computer, they came behind the counter and pushed me back into this room."

"Did you recognize them at all?" Kate asked as she put a cold compress against the back of her head.

"I don't know. It's all blurry right now." Eve said, shaking the cobwebs out of her head, "I think the one guy is the same one who recruited me back in high school. He's not that tall, but he's got a mean temper and is very scary."

Kate squeezed Eve's hand to help show her she wasn't alone, "I'm sure he is; which is why I'm here. I want to get you somewhere safe, so nobody can hurt you again."

"No, I have to leave the country. They'll find me. I shouldn't even be talking to you. This is what they warned me about. God, I have to go." Eve said frantically as she tried to get to her feet. "Thanks for helping me, but you don't know these people. They are killers."

Kate put her hands on Eve's shoulders and kept her on the bed, "Listen to me. I do know who they are and I also now how to protect you. You need to come with me. Do you want to help Fred?"

Eve's eyes lit up and her face changed from scared to excited in a flash, "Fred? You know her? Where is she? Is she alright? Please tell me they didn't hurt her?"

"Fred is fine, but she needs your help right now." Kate said with a real sense of drama in her voice, "There are things going on here that are so much bigger than you can ever imagine and like it or not, you're a key piece of this puzzle."

"I need to know about Fred. Where is she? What's she doing? I haven't seen her for years. I know she doesn't know what I did, but I could never face her after that. I ruined the only good thing that's ever happened my life. All for money. Can you believe that? Me, the spoiled child of rich parents, selling out a friend for money I didn't even need. How ironic and pathetic. I deserve this." Eve said, pointing to the wound on the back of her head, "I'm not looking for pity, I don't want that, but if I can help Fred then I will. I don't care what they do to me."

"They aren't going to do anything to you. Okay?" Kate said, trying to get through to Eve, "Right now, I need to get you back to LA. Do you think you can travel?"

"Yes, a little headache isn't going to stop me. Not now." Eve said as she put her arm around Kate's waist and walked with her back to the car.

Eve stopped and turned to the motel, "Could you lock up for me? The guy who owns this is a nice old man and I don't want anyone breaking into the place." Eve handed Kate the keys and watched Kate lock up, close all the windows and run back to the car.

Kate helped Eve into the passenger seat and then drove to the airport.

**End of Chapter 26.**


	27. Chapter27

**Chapter 27**

**Above the Watchers Council's secret location.**

As Buffy and the rest emerged from the secret hideout, she was promptly knocked to the ground by something and when she hopped to her feet, she saw a sexy blonde haired woman standing less than 10 feet away.

"You don't look like a demon and you aren't a vamp, so give me one reason I don't kick your ass?" Buffy said as she picked herself off the ground.

"I'll do better than that." She said as she moved towards Buffy, "I'll tell you why you can't kick my ass."

"This should be fun." Glory said with a laugh.

"More than you know kid." Glory smiled as she walked past Buffy, took a closer look at Faith, smiled at Fred and gave Giles a dirty look.

"Buffy, this is Glory. She is not human." Giles said as he pulled Fred back a few feet.

"Awe, you spoiled my fun you stupid old man. Now you've made me mad." Glory said as she drilled Buffy with a right cross that sent her flying through the air and landing hard on her ass about 20 feet away. "It's not nice to make me mad."

"Alright, whoever you are you just made a big mistake." Faith said as she moved into combat position and moved in a circle around Glory.

Glory, who was doing nothing but watch Faith move, smiled at the brunette, "Are you going to do anything or are you just out for a jog?"

Faith fumed at the obviously mocking and made her move, getting in one punch and even knocked Glory to the ground with a two handed punch to her back, but Glory hopped to her feet with a big smile on her face, "Nice try, maybe you should stick to cheerleading." She said and grabbed Faith around the neck, pulled her up a couple inches so she was eye level and then tossed her over beside Buffy.

Buffy helped break Faith's fall and the two of them looked over at Giles, "Hello boss man, any advice?"

Giles shrugged his shoulders, "I know what stopped her all those years ago, but without the right circumstances, you'll never kill her."

"Oh, isn't that nice to know." Buffy said with a more than a little annoyance in her voice, "Here's a tip Giles, next time, tell us BEFORE we get our asses kicked."

"Making a note that right now." Giles said with a slight smile.

"Enough!" Glory shouted, "I'm not here to kill you. In fact, I am here to help."

"Yeah right, you just felt the need to put your fist in my face for fun?" Buffy asked, still rubbing her jaw.

"A girl has to make an entrance. Besides, I thought it was best you knew who you were dealing with before I made you my offer." Glory walked over to Buffy and put her hand up against her cheek, "It's barely even a bruise. I thought slayers were tough? Guess not, maybe just the old ones were. Anyway, I was actually willing to loan you my services in your quest to rescue your little sis."

Buffy looked at Glory and then back at the others, "Giles, who is this and how does she know about Dawn already?"

"It's a long story." Giles said with a deep sigh, "But, I don't know how she knows about Dawn.

Glory walked over and stood in front of Giles, "I'm surprised you haven't told her about me yet. I would think it would be a beautiful story for the little slayer to hear. How her mommy and I first met. Maybe then she'd understand that I have no quarrel with her. Ethan Rayne is a different story. He cost me more than anyone will ever know. Now I hear Spike was responsible for Joyce's death; this also makes me very angry."

"What is she talking about Giles?" Buffy asked, her face full of confusion.

"I can't get into that here. It's very complicated." Giles said, unwilling to say anything more.

Glory slowly walked back over towards Buffy, "I knew your mother many years ago. I respected her greatly, but she made my life a living hell and now that's she gone I feel cheated. All these years I've wanted to get one chance to explain everything to her, but now it's gone. Someone will pay. For now, I want to help you find your sister. Joyce would want me to."

"Exactly why do you think I'd ever accept your help with anything?" Buffy asked and then did a double take, "Why are you calling her Joyce? How well did you know her?"

"That's not important right now. What is important is simple; I can get Dawn for you." Glory said confidently, "I know who has her and how to get her back."

Faith jumped into the conversation, "Wait just a minute, let's just say for arguments sake you can save Dawn, what's to stop you from just taking her somewhere and holding her captive or worse?"

"Oh yes, the other half of the chosen ones. How cute." Glory mocked as she checked Faith out from head to toe, "I guess there is no way to trust me, but I'm your best hope right now. If I wanted to kill you, I would. Right now, Ethan Rayne is a bigger problem and I'll do anything to piss him off. So, either you want my help or not. You do know that he likes young girl's right? Don't think it's a coincidence that he took Dawn. She's what, 16, a ripe age for a demented old fool like Rayne."

"He wouldn't dare touch her." Giles said, "He may be evil now, but I don't think he'd hurt Dawn. I think he's doing this to show you he's powerful and that's all."

"Oh, isn't that sweet, Giles defending his ex best friend. Almost makes ya tear up doesn't it?" Glory said with a mock sad face, "You can 'hope' boss man is right or you can let me rescue Dawn now and not have to worry about what Ethan Rayne is truly capable of? Do you really want to find out?"

"Giles, she's got a point." Buffy said, reluctantly agreeing with Glory, "I'll go with her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"I've got other things to do, so either we go or you risk Dawn's life in the hands of a very sick man." Glory said, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground.

"Fine, I'll go and we'll see if your word means anything." Buffy said as she walked over and stood beside Glory.

"Wait, if you think I'm going to stand by and watch, you're crazy. If the psycho blonde tries something you're gonna need backup." Faith said, turning Buffy around to face her, "Besides, I want to help get Dawn back."

"I know you do and I'm grateful to you for wanting to help, but I need you here to make sure Fred and Giles are safe. For all we know this could be a trap." Buffy said as she put her hands on Faith's shoulders, "Please, could you stay here for me?"

Faith didn't like the idea but, couldn't argue such a sweet request, "Okay, this time you're please worked, but don't think you can always sweet talk me into getting your way."

"I'd never think that." Buffy smiled and gave Faith a big hug and then leaned and whispered in her ear, "Thanks. It means a lot to me that you're doing this. I'd love to make it up to you later on."

"Oh, I'll hold you to that." Faith whispered back, "Be careful and bring Dawn back home."

Buffy nodded and they hugged even tighter this time before breaking away.

"Now that the Harlequin moment is over, can we get a move on?" Glory said, tapping her designer shoes against the ground impatiently.

"This is going to be so much fun." Buffy said rolling eyes.

**Spike's new crypt.**

Spike came back from his second trip through his new home to find Drusilla standing over one of Spike's guards.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Spike asked, walking past Drusilla to sit on the only chair in the room.

"Aren't you happy to...

"No." Spike answered before Drusilla could finish the sentence. "If that's all you came for you can leave."

"Awe, is Spikey still mad at his honey bear? I thought we'd put that all behind us." Drusilla said in her slow thick accent, as she stepped over the guard and put her hands around Spike, "You know I've always come back to you. It's time to move on. Things are changing so fast, I can feel it. There are too many sides fighting for the same thing. We need to pull everyone together or there will be no more like us. You don't want that do you?"

"You had your chance luv, but we were over the day you slept with Angelus." Spike said, hiding his emotions as he spoke; "Now I hear you're spending your nights with a vengeance demon? Anya may be a step up from Angelus, but you don't love her. I don't know if you can love."

"Don't be cruel." Drusilla said, showing a rare display of anger, "I've always loved you, but you were not the easiest man to love darling. What with your temper, mood swings and let's not forget your own little affairs, so let's not dig up the past, it can only hurt us. The future is where we must look. I want to look with you by my side."

"Did Anya kick you loose? Is that why you're here?" Spike said as he walked away from Drusilla, "Wouldn't surprise me. You never could keep anyone happy for long."

Drusilla smiled, "That's the Spike I know. When he gets hurt, he lashes out. Don't you see, I understand you better than anyone. I want us to bring all the evil together. It could be wonderful. Just let go of your anger Spike, it's going to break you if you don't."

"Well, well, your advice is heartwarming. I'll try and get by just the same." Spike began walking closer and closer to Drusilla, "I do plan to unite all the forces of evil, but I don't need you do it. In fact, I don't think I need you for anything ever again."

"Spike, you shouldn't test me like this. If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you will get, but I won't hold back." Drusilla said, not backing down from Spike's ominous threat. "Please don't make me kill you. You've always been so special to me; let's not end it like this."

Spike stopped in his tracks, "What's got you so scared? What do you know?"

"Oh, that's better. Let's work through this." Drusilla smiled as she walked up to Spike, "I know Angelus is no more. He's got a soul now and seeks some form of redemption by helping the helpless humans defeat us. I know Ethan Rayne has become very powerful. So powerful he's made many of us fear for our lives. The source of his new power is what we need to find out. I also know that there are many people asking about a demon race known as the Glascoph's. There is speculation they have some connection to humans and this could become a serious threat if left unchecked. I know Lindsey cannot be trusted. I know Glory is becoming unstable. Do you want more?"

"It's good to see you're keeping up on things. I've been locked away for months and have missed a lot." Spike rubbed his chin and looked back at Drusilla, "Since you have information I need, I'll work with you, but, this is just business. If you can't handle that, then we are done here."

"Always so dramatic. Business it is." Drusilla said with a smile as she held out her delicate hand.

Spike took it and shook it, "Done."

**Ethan Rayne's secret hideout.**

Dawn sat on a small cot in the corner of a cell like room she was brought to only hours before. Aside from bringing her one glass of water, nobody had come by to see her since.

That all changed when a guard opened the door to her room. He locked and closed it as he turned and leered at Dawn, "Hi there sweetie. Playtime is here."

"Who are you? Why am I here?" Dawn asked as the man moved closer.

"I'm sure boss will explain all that to you in good time, but you don't need to think of all that now. I'm here to make your stay here more fun." He said and then sat down beside Dawn on the bed.

"You shouldn't be here. Please go away." Dawn said as she curled up in the corner of the bed.

"Don't be shy." He said, leaning over and putting his hand on Dawn's thigh, "There, see, it feels good doesn't it?"

"Stop it. I'm gonna scream." Dawn said, pushing the man's hand away.

"Back off dipshit." Sigmund yelled, as he poked his head out from under Dawn's sweater. "The lady said no. Now beat it before you lose that hand."

"What the hell is that?" the man said as he took a closer look at Sigmund, "Oh god, what a stupid looking pet."

"Laugh it up, but leave the girl alone." Sigmund said as he poked his head ou from under Dawn's sweater.

"If you think a little foot long piece of rock is gonna stop be from having some fun, you're dumber than you look." The man said as he grabbed Dawn, pulled her to her feet and ripped off her sweater with one nasty tug, causing Sigmund to fall right along with it.

Dawn was screaming and swinging at the man, but he grabbed her arms and pushed her back on the bed.

As he put his knee on the bed and reached out to touch Dawn, Sigmund jumped from the floor onto his back and began drilling his sharp spikes into his back, causing the man to jump up and down screaming in pain.

He tried to reach Sigmund, but kept missing as Sigmund moved from side to side, sliding more long spikes into the man's back and neck. Finally, when the man got his hands on Sigmund, he picked him and held him out in front of Dawn, "This is going to cost you big time." The man then put his hand in a throwing position, but as he moved forward, a dozen razor sharp spikes went through his hand and he dropped Sigmund to the ground and grabbed his hand in agony.

After some fruitless attempts to catch Sigmund, the man ran to the door. When he got there, Ethan Rayne was standing waiting for him.

"What have we here?"

"Nothing boss, that stupid pet of hers did this to me. I was going to get some medical attention." The man said, blood dripping from his hand and back.

"Why exactly did it attack you?" Ethan asked.

"Um, well, I don't know. I was just seeing if the girl was okay and it jumped me. You should kill it. It's dangerous." The man said, as he looked back at Sigmund resting peacefully in Dawn's arm.

Ethan sighed as he stared at the dumb looking vamp, "You are a very stupid vamp. What was the last thing I told you?"

"Not to hurt the girl, but I wasn't going to hurt her, just have some fun." He said, smiling at Ethan.

"Good help is hard to find." Ethan said and then took out a stake and turned the foolish vamp to dust. Walking over to Dawn, he stopped and looked at the strange pet, "You're quite a little protector aren't ya? Let me guess, you're one of Wyndham-Price's creations?"

"That's right buddy, so back off or you'll have a hand that looks like Swiss cheese to."

"Oh, and such passion." Ethan said as he backed off a step, "I do admire your desire to protect the young lady, but she's in no danger from me."

"Why am I here? I don't even know you." Dawn asked, constantly petting Sigmund's little belly.

"You won't be here for long. Guess what young lady, you're rescue is under way as we speak. I'm just here to make sure it happens without a hitch." Ethan said as he walked over to the steel door, ripped it off it's hinges with his bare hands, "Be sure to say hi to Giles for me. You can give him a message from me. Tell him I've only just begun to ruin his life. By the time he gets back to the council, he'll understand. Bye now and sorry for the nasty man there, he's gone for good."

"My sister won't let you hurt Giles." Dawn said proudly.

"No, I don't suppose she would. It's sad you have to be part of this, you seem like a sweet young girl. This is on Rupert's head now." Ethan said, his voice growing more irritated with every mention of his old friend.

Walking out the door, he disappeared through an invisible exit and was gone. Moments later Buffy and Glory came running into the room.

Buffy rushed over, put her arms around Dawn and held her close, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine." Dawn smiled, "Some dumb vamp tried to you know, do things to me, but Sigmund came to the rescue and had the guy running for his life. You would've been so proud of him. He saved me."

Buffy smiled down at Sigmund and ran her hand over his hard head, "Thank you. I'm glad you were here for Dawn. I won't forget this."

Sigmund looked up at Buffy, saw the look on her face and couldn't come up with anything sarcastic to say for once, "Dawn's been good to me. I will always protect her."

"Well, then you're welcome in my house anytime." Buffy said, happy tears falling from her face.

"Oh Buffy, it's okay." Dawn said as she hugged her sister. As he looked up she noticed Glory standing at the doorway, "You're here and I see you brought a friend."

Buffy turned to look at Glory, almost forgetting she was with her, "Oh right, well, I guess I should introduce you. This is Glory. She's a god. She wants to kill us all."

"What?" Dawn shouted and Sigmund jumped into action mode and hopped up into Dawn's arms.

"Is that any way to talk about the person who helped you slay your way through the horde of vamps that blocked our path? I don't think so." Glory said, offended by Buffy's description of her, "Besides, I have no need to kill anyone right now. As I said, I have bigger fish to fry."

"You're right; I owe you a big thanks. I give you credit, you did your part." Buffy said, "It's what you might do next that worried me."

"I guess it's time I showed you." Glory said with a smile and then turned and left the room.

Buffy followed but lost sight of her almost instantly. Running back to the room, Buffy took Dawn's hand and slowly led her back through the underground cave and reappeared about 200 feet from where Faith, Fred and Giles were standing.

**End of Chapter 27**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Cordelia's house.**

Willow woke up and turned to her left and then her right, but Cordelia was nowhere around. Getting to her feet, she quickly felt the cool air on her naked body and a cute smile covered her sweet face as she thought about how much fun she'd had getting out of her clothes just hours earlier.

Grabbing a blanket from the floor, Willow covered up and began searching for Cordy. She called out Cordelia's name a couple times, assuming she hadn't gone far, but as she made her way through the gigantic mansion she soon started feeling very uneasy about everything.

Stepping out into the backyard, she sighed as she saw the Olympic sized swimming pool and the hot tub to the left of it. Over to the right was a pretty pink swing set, with a matching pink playground, surrounded by the most perfect beach sand in the world.

Further on past the swimming pool was a greenhouse with a light on. Moving closer she heard Cordy's voice yelling at someone and as she stepped up to the window she saw Cordy talking on the phone.

"I told you I would do what you asked, now back off." Cordy said, visibly upset at whomever she was talking to.

After some head shaking and teething gritting, Cordy was back arguing, "No, I didn't say that. I said I'd help you get her powers. I will not be part of anything else. So if you think you are going to change the agreement now, you're wrong."

Willow raised her eyebrows at the mention of someone's powers, but had no idea what Cordelia was talking about.

"I didn't plan on this happening. I mean, I thought it would be easy. I though I could do without caring or feeling, but it's not possible. I'm human and...and I didn't expect to feel this way. I wish you knew what it was like to feel this happy." Cordelia smiled as she thought about Willow, "Nothing, not even your threats can change how I feel right now."

Not liking what she was hearing about the threats, Willow stormed into the room, "What's going on? Who's threatening you?"

Cordy turned white as a ghost and clicked off her cell, "Willow, what are you doing here?"

"I woke up and you were gone. I just wanted to find you and tell you how much I loved...well you know...before." Willow said as she snuggled up to Cordy, "I couldn't find you, came out here, and heard you say that someone was making threats to you. Who were you talking to?"

"It was nobody. Just a crank call." Cordy said, not doing a very good job of selling her lie, "Listen, I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. I wanted to be there, but...anyway, let's get back."

"No." Willow said, backing away from Cordelia, "You better tell me who was on the phone or I'm gonna get mad. I can you know? If I'm pushed enough. Which I may or may not be right now, but come on, I want to help."

"I know and that's so sweet, but it was nothing. Really, I'll handle it. The threat wasn't anything bad, it was just a figure of speech. I promise." Cordelia said and then pulled Willow back into her arms, "Now, did you want to talk about some dumb call all night or did you wanna come kiss me again?"

Smiling up at Cordelia, Willow chose the easy way out and leaned in and kissed Cordy softly on the lips. After a long sensual kiss, they broke off and gazed into each others eyes.

**Somewhere in the sky between Texas and California.**  
  
Kate adjusted Eve's pillow and pulled out her laptop. Waiting patiently as it started up, she looked around at the other passengers, always keeping her eyes and ears open for anything remotely suspicious.

When she heard the music of her computer start up, she pulled up a file, sorted through some reading material and finally zoomed in on what she was looking for.  
It was the Eve Simpson file she'd requested and Lilah had delivered.

Reading up on the lengthy history of such a young girl, Kate learned more about Eve's troubled childhood, her workaholic parent's and her first brush with the law at 15, courtesy of her first boyfriend.

On the surface, it appeared as if Eve had it all. Two loving parent's, all the possessions a young girl could ask for and a dream home in West Beverly Hills, but as with most stories that seem too good to be true, so was this one.

Upon further digging, Kate found the one name constant in Eve's life that stood out like a red flag, Holland Manners. Reading closer, she found out that Holland was Eve's Godfather, her father's best friend and trustee of the family estate.

There were pictures of Holland with Eve all through her childhood and even one with Holland, Eve and Fred at a Wolfram & Hart charity function, further connecting Fred to the evil law firm.

Seeing Eve open her eyes, Kate closed the laptop, sat it under her seat and took a sip of her coffee as Eve looked around to see where she was, "How long have I been asleep? It feels like forever."

"Well, not quite that long, but a couple hours. You needed it." Kate smiled, "How do you feel?"

"Better." Eve said with a yawn and then turned to face Kate, "Can I ask you what you know about Fred? Is she in some kind of danger?"

Kate was expecting these questions and was quick to reply, "I don't really know her personally. I'm helping someone gather information about her. It's a very long and complicated story, but as far as I know Fred's doing fine now."

"Will I get to see her when we get to LA? I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, but I know I'll have to tell her the truth sooner or later. God I hate what I did so much." Eve said, holding back the tears, "What if she hates me? I don't think I could stand that."

"You're getting ahead of yourself." Kate said, putting her hand over Eve's, "You need to take things slowly. Okay?"

"I guess, but I've spent the last year thinking of what I would say if I ever saw Fred again, but how do you apologize for selling out your best friend and girlfriend at the same time?" Eve paused, hoping Kate would give her the answer, but she could tell by the look on her face, she had none, "It's okay, I know can't keep getting others to bail me out of my own messes."

"Well, that's probably a good place to start." Kate nodded, "Maybe you could tell me more about who asked you to do this and why?"

Eve sat back, stretched out her legs and began to think back to what led up to her biggest regret ever, "The easy part is who asked me to do this. It was Holland Manners. He was a friend of my dad's and he was always so nice to me. He spoiled me rotten. Bought me anything I needed or wanted and was really a great guy. Up until he asked me to drug Fred so he could run some kind of tests on her. At the time, he said they had information that she was doing drugs and wanted to make sure. I didn't even question why some law firm would be doing this. He offered me $100,000 to do this and he promised she wouldn't be hurt in any way. I'm so stupid."

"That's quite a story." Kate said as she listened intently, "Did your father know about this?"

"No, he had no idea. Holland made sure of that." Eve said with a laugh, "Holland was a very persuasive man. There were rumors about his law firm being crooked and I didn't care one bit because to me, he was like an uncle. My favorite uncle."

"Do you think it was Holland that sent those men after you?" Kate asked, hoping to get some kind of reaction from Eve.

Eve took a moment before she answered, did some deep thinking and then continued. "To be honest I don't know. After everything that's happened, I can't say he wouldn't do it. I haven't talked to him since I ran away. I cut ties with my family and wanted to start a new life where I could do something useful with it. I guess that's over now."

"No, I don't believe that at all." Kate said shaking her head, "You're still so young; if you want to change you just have to keep at it, own up to your mistakes and take it from there. From everything you've told me about Fred, I think there's a good chance she'll be able to forgive you."

"I hope so. I can't imagine my life without Fred in it somehow. Even as a friend. I don't think she'd ever trust me enough to get back together, but I'd like to try to be friends again." Eve said softly and then stopped, "Anyway, I shouldn't be going on like this. I want you to know I think of Fred every day."

Kate still couldn't read Eve as well as she wanted, but felt she was being honest about how she felt about Fred, "Well, I think Fred thinks about you a lot to. Especially since she has no idea what made you disappear. I'm guessing she's been worried about since she last saw you."

"Oh god, I never even thought of that. Of course she'd be worried. She cares so much about people. Even me. I should've told her I was fine so she wouldn't have to worry. Why can't I think of these things before it's too late." Eve questioned out loud, "I do wonder what she saw in me. I bet you wonder that to."

"I don't wonder anything. I'm not here to judge you." Kate said, trying her best to reassure Eve, "As I see it, you made a mistake. Once you talk to Fred about this, you'll be able to start over and make sure you don't do the same thing again."

"You sound like you're talking from experience."

"I am. I think we've all made mistakes that we'd love to have back, but since we can't, we learn from them." Kate said, remembering her biggest mistake as a visual of Jenny Calender in a mini skirt flashed through her head.

Eve smiled as she watched Kate close her and slowly lick her lips, "Well, who were you thinking about?"

Kate shook her head and turned to Eve, "Um, nobody, just a friend I let slip away a long time ago."

"I'm sorry; I guess you know more about how I feel than I thought. It's not fun is it?"

"No it isn't, but on the bright side, I recently bumped into her and we talked, had a couple drinks, danced a bit and if we weren't interrupted, who knows what could've happened." Kate sighed, "I guess my point is you can never give up."

"I won't then. I actually spent most of my time trying to think of what I could do to make up for what I did to Fred and I came up with this picture for her." Eve said as she pulled out her over night bag, removed a beautiful hand drawn painting and handed it to Kate. "I gave her one when we were in college, but I'm sure she tossed it out long ago, but this one is really from my heart and I just want to her to have so she knows how I feel."

Kate held the painting in front of her. It was beautiful portrait of Fred. She was leaning up against the wood gate, smiling at her favorite horse, Buttons. She was wearing a tight pair of jeans and a tight white t-shirt. In the background was her family house, her parent's sitting on a porch swing and in the top right corner was a picture of a girl standing in the distance watching Fred from afar.

"This is beautiful." Kate said as she smiled at Eve, "Fred's gonna love this."

"I don't know, I hope so. I started so many pictures and none of them seemed right. They didn't capture how I was feeling. I had to stop thinking about it and then one night when I was feeling lonely and thinking of Fred, it just happened. I've never been able to paint like this before. It was so smooth and fluid and everything I was feeling came through so beautifully. It was as if I was watching it being painted by someone else. When it was finished, I just sat in front of it, crying for hours."  
"I'm sure it was an emotional time. That's why the picture feels so real. I can feel the emotion just by looking at it." Kate said as she took a final look at picture before handing it back to Eve.

"Thank you. It's nice to be able to show someone how I feel. Sometimes I do better expressing myself when I paint then I ever could with words." Eve smiled as she looked at the picture again, "This picture got me through so many lonely nights."

"I wanted to say this earlier, but I bet you didn't know she kept that picture you made for her in college." Kate said as she turned to face Eve, "She has it proudly displayed on the first wall you see when you walk into her house. It's there for a reason. Her mother told me she treasured that picture more than anything in the world. Every day when she'd come home it was the first thing she'd look at and the last thing she'd see before she went up to bed. Her mother didn't know why, but now I do. She loved you. She missed you and the picture was all she had left to hold onto."

Eve was a mess after she'd heard, "Oh god, I don't think I can stand this. Even when I think I'm making things better, I make them worse. I just wanted her to be happy and I knew I wasn't the person to do that. Not after what I'd done to her. Of course, I didn't think of how my leaving would affect Fred. More and more I see just how selfish I was and still am."

"I know you feel bad and you should. But, I have to tell ya, you aren't going to get anywhere feeling sorry for yourself. Yes, you screwed up. Yes, it's going to be hard when you see Fred, but that's the whole point." Kate said, becoming more animated than she expected, "You made this hard on yourself, now it's time to face the music. Whatever happens next is Fred's choice. You have to realize that once she hears all this she's going to need some time to deal with it. She won't have time to worry about your feelings. I'm guessing she's going to be hurt so much by this, but I think, from what I've learned about her, she's got a big heart and I think she wants to forgive people, to give them a second chance. She sees the good in everyone, so I guess what I'm saying, is even if she's mad as hell, don't give up on her. She just needs time. Can you do that?"

"I will do it. I have to. I promise, all's I want is what's best for Fred. I want to make this right. I want a second chance so bad. I'm not the same person I was then. I've grown up so much in the last year. I know I need to prove this to her, and I know I can I just need one chance." Eve said, trying to stay strong as she looked over at Kate, "I just want to thank you for listening to me. It's helped a lot just talking about this with someone. I know what I have to do and I'm ready for it."  
"I hope, but first we stop in LA." Kate said as she looked at her watch. "I have to talk to someone about Wolfram & Hart's connection to all this."

"That's fine. I wouldn't mind having a day to unwind after this long plane ride."

"I'll make some calls and see what I can do. Why don't you try to get some sleep. We've got another two hours before we land." Kate said and then began making her phone calls.

**Wolfram & Hart Archives. Deep below the earth's surface.**

Angel arrived at the archives alone, but soon met up with and old friend. As soon as he spotted his old hunting buddy, he couldn't help but laugh, "Well, funny meeting you here."  
  
"Maybe a little, but I knew we'd run into each other eventually." Spike said as he cautiously moved closer to his old friend, "Word has it that you're no longer going by Angelus. Is that just another rumor or did ya sell out after all?"  
  
Angel didn't react to Spike's question, just gave him an amused look, "What do you think?"  
  
"Oh, I think it's highly possible and more than likely probable. You always did get bored easily." Spike added as he tried to get a read on Angel.  
  
"You don't seem all that comfortable around me. Why's that Spike?" Angel said with a grin.  
  
"Don't flatter yourself. If it comes down to that we'll finally see who the better man is. Not that I have any doubt." Spike grinned.  
  
Angel stopped moving and stared back at Spike, "You mean better vampire don't ya? Or do you still see yourself as a man? You always were halfway delusional."  
  
"Man, vampire, what's the difference?" Spike shrugged, "So what brings you to this place? You doing some good deed to help erase the hundred years of killing you did? You do know you can never atone for that, right?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe not, but I gotta say, it does feel right in a strange sort of way." Angel said as he moved closer to the entrance, "As good as I was at killing; I never enjoyed it like you did. I shouldn't have felt anything, but I did. Over time those feelings grew into guilt, remorse and finally disgust at what I'd become. I wasn't meant to be a vampire and even though I can't change that now, I can help make a difference in this little world of ours."  
  
"Oh god, what the hell has happened to you?" Spike said as she shook his head and rolled his eyes, "I never saw any of these so called feelings when we were working our way through Europe all those years ago. In fact, as I recall, you planned most of our raids. You meticulously picked out the best areas for feeding. You were like a sadistic general leading Darla, Dru and me into battle."  
  
"Well Spike, that's the difference between you and me, well, it's one of the many differences I should say, but I did what I did to feed. Much like a real hunter hunts for food instead of sport. I didn't hunt for pleasure. I planned things out so we wouldn't be staked. So we could continue to exist. It's the law of the jungle, the number one priority of most every creature in the universe, self-preservation."  
  
"What do you expect to get from turning on your own kind?" Spike chided, "I don't see much of a future for you anymore. I've already heard there's a bounty out for your death. Sounds interesting."

"Is that a threat Spike?" Angel asked as he stepped up to the much shorter vampire, "If it is, we can take care of this now."  
  
"It's not a threat, it's a fact." Spike said as he stared back at Angel, "You've made more enemies with your switch than you even know. Every demon, vamp and I'd say most of the human race will still want you dead. How many outside of the Watchers Council will ever hear your sad little story of redemption? None. They'll just see a vampire that needs to die. You of all people know that the demon world is very powerful and you don't stand a chance in hell of surviving if they all come after you. I don't have to do a thing and you'll be dead soon enough."  
  
"You always did love to exaggerate." Angel chuckled, "Most demons are out for themselves. There is no demon union, last I checked. They aren't going to band together to come after me. Even if they did, I'd be ready for it. I've spent the last 250 years preparing for this day and I won't be calling the slayer to help fight my battles, I'll do it alone and I'll do just fine."  
  
Spike put his hands together and made three slow clapping sounds with his hands, "Wow, aren't you a model of all that's good and pure in the world. I almost got weepy there for a moment. You're still full of yourself, I can see that hasn't changed. Yep, it's you against the world and all that garbage. I wish ya luck Angel, I really do. For now, I need to get something out of the archives, so if we're gonna fight, let's do it so one of us can get on with our day."  
  
"I have no desire to kill you just yet Spike. If you don't give me any reason to, we'll have no problems. For now, why don't we just get into the archive together and save the big fight scene for another day."  
  
"Fine by me." Spike nodded, "I have no quarrel with you either Angelus or Angel or whatever hell you call yourself these days, but if you get in my way that will change. Just so we're clear on all this. Right then, let's break into this dump."  
  
"We don't have to break in, I know the password."  
"Of course you do." Spike said sarcastically, "How did ya manage that? They don't give this password out to anyone. I checked. Thoroughly."

"Well, that's why I'm me and you're you. I get things done. Follow me would ya. Try and keep up." Angel said as he broke down the first gate.  
  
"So what kind of security does a place like this have?" Spike asked, just as a group of demons rushed into the room.  
  
There was intense fighting as they slowly made their way through the seemingly endless corridors, finally ending up at a large vault the size of a football stadium. In front of the vault was a Rigalo demon.  
  
Angel smiled at Spike and began walking towards it. Spike quickly pulled him back and gave him a look of confusion, "Are you insane? You do know what a Rigalo demon can do to a vampire don't you?"  
"Ah yes, they seem to be the one demon we can't kill." Angel said with a mock look of terror.  
  
"Bloody hilarious, but if you want to get turned to dust, be my guest. I can enjoy the show." Spike said as she sat down on a rocky ledge and motioned for Angel to continue.  
  
Angel laughed at Spike, looked up at the menacing looking demon and turned back to Spike. "I guess I better get going."

"Yep, you do that. Onward."

Angel walked slowly up the long rocky stairway, finally stopping in front of the Rigalo demon, "Hi there. I need to get into the archive. Could ya open the door?"

"No vampire is allowed in this room. Leave or you will die a slow death." The demon scowled down at Angel.

"Aren't we a bit testy." Angel said as he waved down at Spike and then moved closer to the demon and whispered in it's ear, "Um, what if I said "Cupcake" to you? Would that help?"  
  
With a sneer on it's face, the Rigalo demon stepped to the side, "You may pass."

Spike was in awe as the demon let Angel pass and quickly rushed up the stairs. "Hey, what about me? I thought we were doing this together?"

Angel began walking past the demon, tiptoeing around the razor sharp blades that poked out through the ground, turning back to Spike and shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I thought so to, but it appears that our demon friend will only allow one person in at a time. Then they change the password, so telling you what mine was won't do you any good. I wish I could stay and help, but I'm in a hurry. It was good running into again Spike. I'm sure we'll meet again real soon."

"Nicely played Angel." Spike said with a grin, "I'll find another way into the vault. I look forward to the day we settle things once and for all. It'll be a great battle. Well, until then, you take care now."  
  
Angel smiled at his old friend, waved and stepped inside the vault.

**End of Chapter 28**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**Buffy Summers' House.**  
  
Buffy, Faith, Fred, Dawn and Giles all arrived at the house together and were met by Wesley and the mayor, who then brought Riley Finn into the room.

"This is quite the surprise. What the hell are you doing in my house?" Buffy asked as she stormed up to the mayor, "I don't like the idea of you having access to my house anytime you feel like it. In fact..."

"Buffy, I think you should sit down." The mayor said softly, "Riley Finn has something he needs to tell you.  
  
"Fine, get on with it and then get out. We have things to do."

"Dawn, you should sit down to." Riley said and then stepped into the middle of the room. "I'm not sure how much you know of me or my work, but I've been working on cyber genetics and cloning for the past few years and with the help of a very special assistant, I've managed to achieve something nobody thought possible. I've been able to clone a living human being."  
  
Buffy was unimpressed, "This is fascinating, but why are you telling me this?"  
  
"I'm getting to that." Riley said as he looked over at the mayor and then back at Buffy, "Well, we needed test subjects. At first we used the usual lab rats and other assorted species, then we tried it on vampires and other demons and when we were happy with results we tried it on the first human. We weren't surprised when it worked, but we needed even more proof, so we asked for volunteers within our organization. We now have over 50 clones working for us. This discovery could change the world. Believe it or not, humans are not the only ones who want this knowledge."  
  
"Again, not seeing how this is connected to me."  
  
"Just tell her Riley." The mayor said sharply.  
  
"Tell me what?" Buffy asked as she looked at both men, "What's going on?"  
  
Riley stepped forward and sat down in front of Buffy and Dawn, "Do you remember about 6 months ago when your mother was hurt in that car accident?"  
  
"Of course we do. It was horrible. They said she might die. But, she made a full recovery." Buffy answered and then became even more upset, "I don't get this, how do you know about this? Tell me what's going on now before I get angry."  
  
"Well, we stepped in and took care of your mother." Riley continued, "When we saw the prognosis for your mother, we talked to her and she agreed to be part of the experiment. This is going to be very hard to hear and I know you are going to be mad as hell, but please just hear me out before you react."  
  
Buffy stood up and grabbed Riley by the throat, "Oh for the love of god, shut up and tell me what this is about."

"We cloned your mother." Riley blurted out as he gasped for air.  
  
"What did you say?" Buffy asked as she fell back on the sofa.  
  
Dawn caught Buffy and turned her around, "What does that mean Buffy? Cloned?"

"Your mother was more seriously hurt than you were told. She had numerous internal injuries and was in need of urgent medical attention and with her permission; we began the procedure to clone her. As I said, it worked and we were able to replace her kidney, spleen and used some of her own blood to keep her alive."  
"Okay, so you did all this to keep her alive, but she was still killed by Spike, so why does this matter now?"  
  
"This is where it gets tricky." Riley said and then stood up and walked into the kitchen and moments later walked out with Joyce by his side.  
  
Buffy and Dawn were in shock as their mother walked into the room. Unable to move or speak, they just sat there and stared.  
  
Joyce moved slowly towards them, sliding beside them on the sofa, she looked at Buffy and then Dawn, "I'm so glad to see you both. I know you have a million questions and I want to answer all of them. I just want to hold you both and tell you how much I missed you and how much I love you."  
  
Buffy hugged her mother tightly and gently put her hand on her face to see if she was real, "Oh my god, how is this possible? I saw you on the floor of Spike's crypt. You were dead. Something isn't right here."  
  
"Buffy, stop it." Dawn yelled, "She's back. Leave her alone. Be happy."  
  
"Oh I am happy. I can't explain how happy I am to have you back mom, but I get this sick feeling inside that you knew all along that we thought you were dead and didn't do anything about it. You didn't tell us about this whole cloning thing and I wonder what else you've kept from us. Not to mention the Giles business. I can't deal with this now. I have to go."  
  
"Buffy." Joyce called out, but was too late, as Buffy had already slammed the door behind her.  
  
Faith turned to everyone in the room, "I'll go after her." And then ran outside to find Buffy.  
  
"I'm just happy you're here mom. I don't care about the other stuff." Dawn said as she held her mother close.  
  
"I'm glad to be here, but your sister has a right to be mad and I just hope she'll let me explain it all to her and to you. I'm so sorry I put you through all this." Joyce said as tears began falling down her face.  
  
Dawn looked at her mom and smiled at her, "Don't cry mom. It's okay. Buffy will be fine, she just gets mad easily."  
  
Joyce got up and walked over to Riley, "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me, but I should warn you that Buffy has quite a temper so she might come around asking even more questions and I want you to tell her everything. No more secrets."

"Whatever you want Joyce. I should be going now." Riley said as he walked towards the door.  
  
Dawn rushed over to him, "I don't know you very well, but if you saved my mom's life I owe you a big thank you. I won't forget this. I never thought I'd have a second chance to tell my mom how much I love her and now I can, so thank you so much." She put her arms around Riley, gave him a big hug and then stepped back and smiled up at him.  
  
Caught off guard by Dawn's warm reception, Riley stumbled to find some words, "Um, well I'm glad I could help your mom. She's a really great person and I know she missed you both so much. You take care of her now, okay?"  
  
"I will. I promise." Dawn said as she ran over and hugged her mom again.  
"I know you will. Bye Dawn." Riley said and then quietly walked out the front door.  
  
Dawn watched him leave and then looked at her mom, "He seems like a nice guy. Is Buffy mad at him to?"  
  
"Yes, he's a very nice man." Joyce said as she smiled back at her youngest daughter, "As for Buffy, I think she's hurt, confused, and angry and she needs time to cool down and when she does, I'll be here to answer any question she might have.

Giles walked up to Joyce, his face showing his surprise, "I'm so happy you are alive. I think we need to talk when you have some time."  
  
"Yes, I think the mayor wants to have a meeting with everyone involved with this. I'm sorry you had to go through this Rupert. You have to know, there was no other way to make this work. Don't be mad at Riley, he did what I asked him to do. All this is my doing. Please just let me explain. There's so much that none of you know and now's the time to tell you."  
  
"I'm willing to listen." Giles said as he gave Joyce a big hug of his own.  
  
Faith chased Buffy down the street and through the park until she caught up with her sitting on a large rock staring into a small pond. "Hey there. Is there room for me on that rock?"  
  
Buffy turned to see Faith smiling back at her, "I guess so. I'm not mad at you."  
  
"I can see this has been a lot to take in, but you have to look at the big picture here, your mom is alive. I mean, that has to count for more than anything else."  
  
Buffy nodded her agreement, "I know and I wish I would have told her how happy I was that she was alive, but there have been so many secrets about her life that I'm just learning and it's like she never trusted me enough to tell me any of them."  
"Well, I can't tell you why she did what she did, but I have to believe she had a good reason. No mother would put her daughters through this unless there was no other way." Faith said as she hopped down off the uncomfortable rock, "Maybe you should wait and see what her reasons are before you get too off track here."  
  
"I know you're right, but I'm not ready to go home just yet."  
  
"Okay, since you need to relax and get your mind off all this, why don't we go have some fun for a couple hours?"  
  
"Fun?" Buffy asked with a skeptical look.

"Yes, you have heard of it right?" Faith teased.

"I'm starting to wonder if I do anymore."

"I think we can change that in a hurry." Faith said as she took Buffy's hand and helped her down off the rock, "I think you need to take your mind off this for a bit, so I'm taking you dancing"  
"I don't know if that's what I need..."  
  
"Oh, you seem to be under the impression that I asked a question." Faith said and then dragged Buffy away before she could put up a fight and headed to the Bronze.

**Cordelia's House.**

"I have to meet someone, so are you going to be okay here?" Cordy asked as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.

Willow leaned against the bedroom door as she watched Cordelia in the mirror, "Actually, I was going to pop over and see Buffy. Xander said he'd be going over there again today so if she's not there I'll have some company at least."

"Oh, you've become kind of close with Buffy awful fast haven't you? What do you do over there anyway?" Cordelia asked, trying not to sound like she was prying.  
  
"Nothing much, just hang out and stuff." Willow answered calmly, yet the guilt of lying made her very uncomfortable.

"Maybe I'll drop by after my meeting. Is that okay?"  
  
"Um, I don't know, it's not really my house. I can ask Buffy and I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Why don't you call me when your meeting is over and I'll let ya know."

"Sure, I can do that." Cordy said with forced smile, "Well, I'm ready, how do I look?"  
  
"Beautiful as always." Willow smiled and walked over to Cordelia, "You look so good I don't want to leave now."  
  
"Oh aren't you turning into a sweet talker." Cordy grinned and put her arms around Willow.  
  
Willow wrapped her arms around Cordy's waist and shook her head, "Nope, just the plain old truth."  
  
Cordelia smiled again, but pulled away as she remembered the meeting, "I'd love to stay, but I really have to be at this meeting."  
  
"Okay, I guess it must be important." Willow said, a bit curious as to why Cordelia pulled away.  
  
"Oh it's nothing really, I just have to go." Cordelia relied with her back to Willow. After taking a deep breath she put on her big smile and turned back to her, "Did you want me drop you off at Buffy's?"  
  
"Yes, that would be great." Willow nodded and then followed Cordelia out to her car. Neither girl saying much as Cordelia drove off.

**Outside Buffy's house**

Darla and Harmony walked up the steps to the Summer's house and after checking to see that someone was home, Darla rang the bell.  
  
Dawn answered the door with Sigmund in her arms, "Hi."  
"Hi, we were told that Xander Harris might be here, is that true?" Darla asked, smiling at the strange looking pet in Dawn's hands.  
  
"Um, I think so, let me check. "Dawn said and then closed the door and walked back into her house. Moving into the kitchen she saw Xander working at a laptop with Giles and the mayor looking over his shoulder.  
  
Sensing Dawn staring at him, Xander looked over at her, "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"Oh no, there's just two pretty girls at the door who want to talk to you."  
  
Knowing exactly who it was, Xander reluctantly got up, smiled at everyone and walked to the front door. He opened the door and then closed it as he stepped out on the porch with the two girls, "Well, what brings you to this part of town?"  
  
Darla took a step forward, "We just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. Couldn't be better. So if that's all, you can go now." Xander said and then turned to go back inside.  
  
"Wait." Harmony yelled and then hopped in between the door and Xander, "Hi, I know you probably don't want to talk to me and I guess I can't blame you, I did get the girl and you got nothing, but I do want to stay friends with you. Darla thought you might be in danger, but I can see that this house is full of people, so you're probably safe. So I guess we don't need to talk you anymore."  
Darla did her usual sigh and head roll and then stopped Xander from going inside, "What Harmony was trying to say in her own way, was that we know Buffy is the slayer and we heard you were helping her and I just don't think that's a good idea. She's in over her head and she has no idea. But you, well you don't have slayer powers and the things she's dealing with could kill you."  
  
Xander laughed at Darla's little speech, "Oh I see, so this is a pity visit? I can't say I'm surprised. Well, how about I promise I'll stay inside and leave all that hard stuff to Buffy and Faith. Maybe you could stay here and protect me and I could bake you some cookies. I'm sure I need a lot of protecting. Being the incompetent fool you seem to take me for."  
"Xander, don't be mad." Darla said with her sultry whisper, "I just want you to be careful. That's all. I know you can handle yourself, but nobody understands what's coming. Not even Buffy or Faith. I'm not sure Giles or the mayor have accepted the truth that's right under their noses."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Xander questioned, curious as to why she was being so dramatic.  
  
Peering through the window, Darla became even more impatient, "Is Giles inside?"

"Yes, so?"  
  
"Let me in. I need to talk to him and the mayor." Darla said loudly, "I have some new information on two people we think are involved in this latest plot to destroy humanity. And it's not who they think."Xander could tell by the look on Darla's face that she was serious, but still wasn't sure what to make of it all, "I'll let them know you're here and if they want to talk to you then fine, but until then, you can wait outside with your pretty little girlfriend."Darla nodded and stepped out of Xander's way. Harmony quickly put her arm around her and gave Xander a childish sneer.  
  
Inside, Xander rounded up Giles and the mayor, informed them of Darla's request to talk to them and they waved her in.  
  
Everyone settled in and Darla got up in the middle of the room and made her speech, "Okay, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Darla. I work with Giles, the mayor and the Watchers Council as well as an independent source, all with the same goal in mind, to protect the world from possible demon/vampire threats. It's an ongoing process that on occasion brings forth a serious danger and that's what is happening now."  
  
Giles adjusted his glasses and removed them as he stood up, "I don't mean to make light of your concerns Darla, but if you have nothing new to add I think we have things under control here."  
  
"Are you sure about that Giles?" Darla asked with a hint of sarcasm, "Because I don't think you have a thing under control. Do you know what happened to Gwendolyn Post?"  
  
"Well, she was thrown out of the Watchers Council and I believe our last reports said she was killed in some freak accident in the West Indies. Why do you ask?"

"Then you need better intelligence, because she's no more dead than you or I."  
  
The mayor stepped forward, "Do you have proof of this?"  
  
"Yes I do." Darla replied as she reached into her purse and pulled out a video tape, "Here, I was going to bring it to your office, but I think everyone here has a right to see this."

**End of Chapter 29**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**Basement of Sunnydale High School.**

Anya walked through the halls of the school, taking time to look at the trophies in the trophy case; the school yearbook photo's plastered across the bulletin and even took time to put some trash away as she made her down the creaky stairway.

Turning past the boiler room, she opened a secret door and stepped inside a well-lit room to see Cordelia standing against the wall looking out into nowhere land.  
"Good to see you again Cordelia, you're looking well." Anya said with an appreciative smile as she looked Cordy over from head to toe, "I guess popularity agrees with you."

"Let's cut to the chase, I want out of our agreement. I can't do this. It wasn't supposed to be like this." Cordy said, pleading with Anya to listen to her.  
  
"You know I don't control things now. Once you make a deal you have to live with it. I told you this when you first approached me all those years ago. Funny, you never had a problem with anything before. Why do you think that is?" Anya asked, knowing Cordy couldn't possibly answer.  
  
Cordelia gritted her teeth and tried to explain, "I was young then. It's not even fair to go by something I wished for when I was like 13. It's crazy."

"One person's crazy is another person's genius." Anya laughed, "Let's not pretend this was a one time thing. I've been taking care of your bad dates for how long? Since you were 13? How many is that now? 7? Yes, I think so. Seven boyfriends who scorned you. Yep, they made Cordy all sad and weepy. At first it was amusing, but then you got all squeamish on me and ruined my fun."

"Me? Hello, you turned the last guy into a statue of a duck. That was going too far." Cordelia said as she recalled Doug's new home in the middle of the park. "I just wanted you to make their life miserable for a few days, maybe a week, a month tops, but certainly no more than a year. The point is, I didn't want anyone hurt or killed. That's not what I wished for."  
  
"Don't tell me what you wished for, I have it all memorized. It's what I do. Would you like to know your exact words? I think maybe you need to hear them. It's funny what people say when they are angry. Sometimes they don't even remember saying it, but you said and I quote, "I can't believe Doug didn't call me. He said he'd call and he didn't. I'm so sick of this. If he thinks he can treat me this way he's wrong. God, I wish he could never do this again."  
  
Cordelia listened to Anya and stood stunned, "You've got to be kidding me? I never once mentioned turning him into a statue. You are crazy."  
  
"I like to think of it as creative license." Anya smiled. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not fair to say that he can never do this again? Okay then, I think I followed your wish to a tee. Next time, be a bit more specific if you don't want me interpreting your meaning. Anyway, onto why you're here. What have you found out about Willow's powers?"  
  
"Nothing. I told you I can't do this anymore. She's done nothing to deserve it." Cordelia said as her voice grew louder. Just as quickly as she had got upset, Cordy changed her tune and went on the offensive, "How do you know she's has some kind of power anyway?"

"Oh Cordy, you never could stay focused for long." Anya sighed, "The only thing you need to worry that pretty little head of yours about, is learning more about Willow's power. Once you do that, you won't owe me a thing. Now come on, stop being emotional and get back to your job."

Cordelia folder her arms and sat down in the middle of the room and stared up at Anya, "No, I quit. Kill me if you want, but I can't do this."

Walking slower over to Cordy, Anya stopped and knelt down in front of her. "What is wrong with you? Where's the Cordy that came to me week after week to have some boy embarrassed cause he dumped you? She was full of rage and fed off the vengeance. Now look at ya, you're...I don't know what you are, but you're no fun now. I tried to do this the nice way, I really did. I befriended you and we bonded....didn't we? I think so and this is how you repay me?" Anya said as she got to her feet, "Another reason not to work with humans." She muttered under her breath and then turned back to Cordelia, "I have two choices. I can just let this pass and find another to get to Willow, but you'll just tell Willow what I'm up to and that will only make things harder, so you see my dilemma? Do I have a choice but to take you out?"  
  
"Yes, yes, you have many choices." Cordelia said as she leaped to her feet, "I thought about this last night. Can't you just leave Willow alone? I mean, she knows the slayers you know. Do you really want to get messed up with them if you don't have to? I honestly have not seen one thing that showed she had any powers anyway, so maybe you have the wrong Willow. There's tons of Willow's in LA, it's like the most popular name there. Go look."  
  
"You're such a cutie when you lie." Anya said with a warm smile, "But, I have the right girl and you just had sex with her. Now, I see this isn't going to end well for you Cordy, but you backed me into a corner and I can't have that. So, I could do something simple like make you a mute, but then you'd just warn Willow with words. I could make you blind as well, but you'd still find a way to save your lover."  
  
"Yes I would." Cordelia said proudly.  
  
"Well then, I guess this is goodbye." Anya said as she circled Cordelia, "I'm sorry it didn't work out and I really wish it could end some other way, but you've given me no choice."  
  
"I'm not afraid to die. Do your worst." Cordelia screamed at Anya.  
  
Anya stood in front of Cordy, pulled out some sparkly powder and sprinkled it over her head.  
  
"Hey, watch the hair."  
  
"So sorry." Anya smirked and continued to pour the powder over Cordelia.  
  
Cordelia tried wiping it off as fast as Anya poured it, "Just get on with it would ya, do you have to ruin my hair before you kill me? How rude."

Holding in her laughter, Anya closed her eyes and began chanting and when she was done, a mystical aura exited Cordelia's body and disappeared into the air. Anya then walked over, helped Cordelia to her feet and brushed some of the powder off of her.  
  
Cordelia shook her head and stared at Anya for the longest time, before pushing her away, "Hands off lady."  
  
Anya acted surprised, "Sorry, I was just helping with that powder. Not sure how you got it all over you, but I see you have it under control so I'll be off. It was nice meeting you."  
  
"Okay, I guess." Cordy said as she turned to watch Anya leave the room.  
  
Anya smiled as she stepped to the side and teleported herself out of the school.  
  
Cordelia stood in the middle room, wondering where she was and why she was there. Opening the door she made her way back up to the main floor of the school and wondered why she couldn't remember going down there to begin with. 

**Buffy Summers' House.**

The mayor took the tape from Darla, walked over to the VCR and slid it inside. He pushed the play button and they all sat back and watched. 

**August 21, 1996.**  
  
The tape opened with a beautiful view of the Stonehenge in England. A stunning display of the prehistoric temple used as a place of worship and burial.

Standing in the middle of the five trilithons stood a tall blonde woman. She had a circle of strange looking demons around her, all chanting some bizarre spell. In her left hand was a small triangular shaped gold medallion and as the chanting reached it's peak, she held it up towards the sky.

After the chanting came to a stop, the woman lifted a second medallion up to the first, and as it made contact with it, the sky turned a menacing shade of black, the ground began to shake and then a bright red portal appeared about 30 feet above the Stonehenge.

It was moments later that a giant demon came bursting through the portal, landing on it's feet with little effort.

Standing on its hind legs, the demon turned it's torso around as it surveyed the smaller demons and then focused its attention towards the woman in the middle of the circle. 

Without fear, the woman walked up to the demon and held the gold medallion in front of it, "With this medallion I bind you to me for eternity. You will obey my commands and do my bidding. With these words I bring forth the demon of annihilation, Garcipos."

Hesitantly, Garcipos walked up to the woman, sniffed her hair and then got down on one leg, "It is you my queen. They said you were dead, but alas, they were wrong. What world is this?"

"Oh, I have waited so long for this moment. I can't describe how amazing this feels." The woman gushed, "Garcipos, you are going to enjoy this world. It is ripe with food and it will take you years to feast on all the pathetic humans that soil this world. I have big plans for us, but first we must deal with our biggest threat, the slayers."

"I know of no such thing. I only need to know where the next victim is and I shall eliminate them. Where are these slayers? I wish to start killing now." Garcipos growled.

"Patience my friend. I will take you to the slayers. A word of caution, there appearance will be misleading. At first glance, they will appear to be no threat at all. They are tiny in stature, but have strength well beyond their size. Do not underestimate them. Come, let me teach you all about this world."

"What shall I call my queen?" the gargantuan demon asked as he followed her through the field.

"Queen Gwendolyn has a beautiful ring to it don't ya think?" she said with a big smile.

"Yes." Was all Garcipos could manage as they walked away with the smaller demons

following a good distance behind.  
  
Xander wasn't impressed and looked around the room to see everyone else glued to the TV, seemingly enthralled by what they were seeing, "Okay, what's the big deal here? Some woman summoned a demon. Am I missing something here? Aren't slayers supposed to be able to kill vamps and demons with ease?"

"You know young man, there's a lot you need to know about the world the slayers and the Watchers Council live in." said the mayor as he got to his feet and walked over to Xander, "What you don't know is anything about the demon that was summoned. Garcipos is a legendary demon that had been banished to a demon realm that was thought to bring instant death to anything that entered it's atmosphere, apparently that isn't entirely true. Giles knows more about this demon than anyone."  
  
Giles stood up and cleared his throat as he addressed the room, "Well yes, Garcipos is a feared demon that has caused more death and destruction throughout history than most wars put together. In it's demon state it is surprisingly weak and ineffective, but when it transforms into human form, it becomes a killing machine the likes of which hasn't been seen before or since. It killed discreetly. It used human methods to kill. Many of the biggest tragedies throughout history that were thought to be horrible accidents at the time, were in fact the work of Garcipos. He may very well be the biggest challenge we've ever had to face."

Xander looked back at the tape and his eyes grew wide, "No, I think that's the biggest challenge that we are about to face."

Giles turned to see another demon, the size of a small high rise tower, drop from out of nowhere, grab Garcipos by the neck and with a vicious twist of it's powerful wrists, snapped its neck and it fell to the ground as Gwendolyn looked on in complete shock.  
  
With the demon smiling back at her, Gwendolyn pulled out her medallion and began to chant.  
  
Unimpressed, the demon grabbed Gwendolyn by the neck, held her up above his head and ripped the medallion from her hands, "You stupid woman. I should kill you for this, but I think you could be of use to me. Are you willing to join forces with me?"  
  
Struggling to breathe, Gwendolyn simply nodded yes as it was here only real option.  
  
"Good." The demon said with a pleased look on his face, "Now, I'm going to let you down, but if you even think of trying anything stupid you will die before you finish the thought. Are we clear on this?"

Managing another nod of agreement, Gwendolyn felt a huge sigh of relief as her feet touched the ground again. After a moment of catching her breath, she stared back at the strange demon, "Who are you and why did you kill Garcipos?"  
  
"All in good time Gwendolyn." He said, waiting for her to react, "Yes, I know who you are. You are alive because you could be somewhat useful to me. There are many things that need to be done before I can execute my plan. I need you to find a spell for me. It's rumored to be in the far east, perhaps in Japan below the Matsumoto castle. It's a truly spectacular piece of history, so you can't miss it. The spell is said to be in an underground cavern, guarded by a few dozen demons, but nothing to serious. Go find it and bring it to me. Once you've proven your worth, we can talk about increasing your role in eliminating the slayers for good."  
  
"Oh, is that all you want? Just for me to kill countless demons for you and retrieve some spell? Why not get it yourself? Wouldn't that be faster?" Gwendolyn asked, rubbing the red marks around her neck where the demon was holding her, "What aren't you telling about this place?"  
  
"If I told you everything, it wouldn't be much of a challenge would it? Suffice it to say I can't get into to the cavern in this form. With your magic, I think you have an outside change of pulling it off. If not, you die. Either way, I get my answer." The demon said calmly.  
  
"Well, how can I pass up such a challenge." Gwendolyn added as she stared at her gold medallion in the demon's hand, "I'll need my medallion back if I'm going to have a chance to do this. As you obviously know, it's the source of much of my magical power."  
  
"Oh I am very aware of the Medallion of Morphic." Arcystic with a dismissive tone, "However did you find it? I to was looking for it and had no luck. But, now that's changed and I don't think I want you to use this against me, so I'll hold onto it and IF you prove trustworthy, we can talk about returning it to you."  
  
"You can't take away my power and expect me to succeed. It's crazy."  
  
"I see it as another challenge for you. Use your ingenuity and be creative. You should never rely on one item as your power source, because in time, your enemies will learn this and once you lose it you will be easy prey. This is your chance to prove you can adapt and overcome." The large demon said firmly, "Is that too much for you? Should I find another partner?" 

"I'll do it. You'll see." Gwendolyn fired back in a flash, "Who are you? I could go look you up, but why don't you save me the trouble."  
  
"My name is Arcystic. That's all you need to know for now." He said as he tapped Gwendolyn on the top of her head, "I'll be in touch."  
  
"Wait, what if I find this spell, how can I contact you?"  
  
"Don't you worry about that, if you get the spell, I'll know. So, just go do your thing and I'll go do mine. Until next time Gwendolyn." Arcystic said as he chanted some strange words and disappeared into thin air moments later.  
  
Gwendolyn looked around but saw no trace of the demon and decided to high tail it out of there.  
  
Darla turned the tape off and stepped into the middle of the living room, "This was filmed by a farmer who lives right next to the Stonehenge. At the time, he thought it was just some movie being shot, but after he watched it a few more times he realized the demons on the tape were real. To make a long story short, we acquired the tape just last week from local authorities. After verifying its authenticity, we brought it here for you to see."

"Well this is highly disturbing." Giles sighed, "I don't have time to argue about how long it took you to hand this tape over, but I'm not happy about it at all. Since we have more urgent matters to attend to, I'll move on, for now. Our last records of Gwendolyn Post had her searching for black magic anywhere she could find it. We did out best to make sure she had no access to the more deadly black magic, but she disappeared from our radar about 6 months ago. Now that I see this tape, it makes it more clear as to why she felt the need to get out of sight. What I would like to know is any information you have on Arcystic."

"That's been our goal since we first watched the tape." Darla added while removing a folder from her purse and handing it to Giles. "This is everything we've learned about Arcystic and it's not much. He's not in any history books than we could find. There is no record of this demon until about a year ago. It's really starting to seem like it was just created in the last couple years. There's no need to tell me how strange this is, but we believe Arcystic is the creation of some black magic master."  
  
The mayor stood up and peered over Giles' shoulder at the information in the folder, "Although this is highly unusual, it's not without precedent, but it would take a powerful witch/warlock to create something as powerful as Arcystic appears to be. Off the top of my head, I can think of only two people on earth with that kind of power and both are working within our organization. This leads me to believe that whoever did this has spent years amassing the skill and power to use the black arts like this. We need to find out who's behind this."

"I can get on that right now." Wesley said, standing up ready to go in a flash.  
  
"Good, why you don't take Darla with you, she might be able to help."  
  
Darla shook her head no, "Sorry, I can't go with Wesley. I have something I have to care of."  
  
"I can go." Xander said as he raised his hand as if in school.  
  
"I don't think the rules allow such a thing." Wesley replied, getting out his watcher's handbook in the process.  
  
"Oh just take the boy along." The mayor said loudly, "He's got the seal of approval of the slayer on his side and he has some minor military training, so I think he will be just fine. This is just a fact-finding mission, so let's get a move on. Time is of the essence."  
  
Xander smiled at the good news, but wasn't so sure he liked the mayor's wording, "Thanks, I guess, but I'm not a boy." 

"Well, let's go then." Wesley grumbled, still not thrilled with the prospect of taking a civilian with him.  
  
Xander patted Wesley on the shoulder, "Oh stop sulking, I'm more useful than you think."  
  
Wesley rolled his eyes and led the way out the door.

**End of Chapter 30**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**Wolfram & Hart's Archives. **

Angel made his way through the dark, demon filled vault, meticulously going through section by section until he came across 22B. He moved down a long corridor until he found box 199.

After entering the combination, he slowly opened the large metal box and pulled out a number of folders, each filled with detailed information about Gwen Raiden's life, from her early years as a baby, up until she was sent to the institution.

It was the last folder that Angel was really looking for, an in depth analysis about the pros and cons of recruiting Gwen into the Wolfram & Hart family. It was signed by Dr. Erdrick Smithson, CEO of Tranquil Night's Psychiatric Facility.

There were seven pros listed and only three cons, but each con was listed in bright red letters. The first was that she had a connection to Faith the slayer and that bond could be too hard to break. The second was that she was Lilah's sister and might cease to become useful if they needed to dispose of Lilah at some point. Lastly, they listed her personality and health as a concern. She was young, wild and prone to impulsive acts and her health was an issue, after so many lightning strikes, her vitals were off the charts and there was no telling when that could come into play.

On the pro side were two rather interesting points listed as number one and two. One was that she knew Faith and could be influential in recruiting the slayer to Wolfram & Hart. Two was that her connection to Lilah could prove useful, if the she ever wanted to opt out of Wolfram & Hart. The rest were about her powers and the different ways they wanted to use them and her for their own gain.

Below Gwen's box was another with Lilah Morgan's name on it and below that was another with Winifred Burkle's name on it. All three had the same color coding and numerical code as well.

Curious about this connection Gwen and Lilah had to this other woman; Angel morphed into his vampire form and used brute force to pry the lock off the box. Reaching inside he found a personal history of Winifred "Fred" Burkle and began to read.

Fred Burkle had a normal childhood with wonderful parents supporting her in everything she did as she grew up. From ballet to horseback riding to her passion for creating things, they were by her side every step of the way.

As she entered high school years, Fred became involved in the science club, entered countless science fairs and made quite a name for herself by winning numerous events with different projects each time.

There are only two blips on her personal record. The first being her birth, which was that she was adopted as a young baby, but the circumstances of her adoption were kept secret as were her biological parent's.

The second strange occurrence, took place in her senior year of high school. According to our records, she went missing for three days near the end of her senior year. Her explanation was that she went away for the weekend with a friend and forgot to tell her parents. It just never fit with her profile and her friend was very shaky when asked about the details.

We did a history on this girl Fred was with that weekend and she came up clean. We spent another year watching her afterwards and still came up with nothing. In the end, we ruled out any conspiracy theory and stopped tracking Eve Simpson soon after.

After Fred took one year of the graduate's physics program at UCLA, she was recruited by the Watchers Council and continued her education on the job. That is where she works to this day.

Still not finding any reason the file was mixed up with Gwen and Lilah, Angel flipped through the remainder of the file until her came across an interesting document. It said page 2/2, but the first part wasn't anywhere in the file, but he decided to give it a read.

Marisella's history picks up in the USA in the late 1970's. She attended Texas Tech and met a beautiful woman named Ashley Dwyer, an English major and the two became inseparable.

In the fall of 1978, using Marisella's DNA, Ashley gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Tragedy would strike that wonderful moment, as Ashley would fall victim to a mysterious infection and would die before ever seeing her little girl.

Devastated, Marisella returned with the baby to her home in west Texas, but she became overcome with grief and with changes happening to her own physiology she to fell ill with a mysterious infection.

With nowhere else to turn, Marisella put the little girl up for adoption.  
Trish and Roger Burkle adopted Fred a couple weeks later.

Stuck in the bottom of Gwen's folder was a videotape. It was marked, **Release Tape: Use if Needed. **

Angel had no idea what the tape was for or who any of the people were in this document, but he knew it was all important as were the other files, so he stuffed them into his jacket, fought his way out of the vault and took his personal jet to San Diego to get Gwen released.

**Outside the Summers' House.**

Fred snuck out of the house while the others were busy and made her way to Riley's lab. Outside the lab, she noticed the many surveillance cameras above the door and throughout the main lobby, so she looked around until she found a large rock on the ground, took aim and tossed it towards the closest camera.

Missing completely, she picked up another and another until finally she was rewarded as the camera lens smashed into a million little pieces. It wasn't long before a swarm of security guards rushed out, grabbed her and brought her inside.

Riley entered the room about 15 minutes later, sat down across from Fred and held the ring up in front of her, "I'm guessing you're here for this?"  
"That's right and I'm not leaving until you give it back." Fred demanded.  
  
"Well, I have no problem with that." Riley acknowledged, "We've done our research and have come empty trying to figure out where the power originates from. So, here you are Miss Burkle."

Taking the ring from Riley, Fred quickly put it on her finger and almost instantly, it began to glow. Feeling the power surge through her body, Fred soon felt an overwhelming desire to hurt Riley.  
  
With no control over her actions, she leaped across the table, grabbed Riley by the throat and began choking him violently. As she felt the power increase as she choked Riley harder, she pulled off Riley and jumped back against the wall in shock at what she'd just tried to do.  
  
Riley sat up in his chair, holding his throat and still gasping for air. Fred removed the ring and rushed over to him. Doing her best to comfort him, she helped him to his feet and frantically rushed through the long corridors until she came to a medical lab and two doctors helped take Riley to a bed and hooked him up to an oxygen machine.

It took a good 10 minutes of pure oxygen being pumped into his system for Riley to get his vitals back to normal and as he sat up in his bed looking over at a terrified Fred, he smiled, "Well, you pack quite a little punch in that delicate frame of yours. I'm impressed. Now, if you could tell me why you did it I'd really appreciate it."

"Oh god I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I put the ring on and felt this urge to hurt you and before I knew I was choking you. I have no idea how I stopped, but I'm so glad I did. Are you sure you're okay?" Fred asked, almost afraid to ask.  
  
"I'm fine." Riley nodded, "My guess is the ring was not happy with me and channeled that anger through you. It's amazing technology to have a ring so in tune with someone it's able to empower the person instantly. Brilliant is all I can say." Riley said, heaping praise on the ring.  
  
Fred was curious about Riley's reaction, "I'm surprised you are so calm about this. I thought you'd want to smash the ring in half for what it did."

"I can't say I enjoyed being choked like that, but I'm a scientist now and the technology imbedded in this ring is a work of genius and I tip my hat to whoever designed it." Riley said, continuing to gush about the ring. "Listen, I know this is your ring and I would like to know more about where it's from and who gave it to you. I don't know much about the Glascoph's. I know a small amount about Millicent and Marisella, but not your connection to them. We never figured that out. Seeing the power this ring possesses, it does make me wonder just what purpose these people had and what they might want from us."  
  
Uncomfortable with Riley's questions, Fred put on her big smile and did her best to work on her double talk, "There's not much to tell. We are still investigating this as well. I believe there are people working on this all over the world now, but so far, we've come up empty as well. Somehow there must be a connection between me and this race or species, but I just don't know anything about what they might want. I'd like to believe they are a good people. If they weren't, wouldn't they have tried to take over earth by now?"  
  
"There's nothing saying they haven't tried and failed. Not all battles are fought out in the open." Riley explained as he hopped off the bed, "Follow me, I'd like to show you where the Glascoph's originate. As best we can tell from history and other methods."  
  
Fred smiled and nodded as she followed Riley down some more long, but bright corridors until they came to a large metal door, with a heading above it called, "Demonology Studies." And walked in.  
  
As soon as Fred walked into the gigantic room, she noticed more video screens, computers and other high tech equipment in a room than she'd ever seen this side of NASA.

Riley moved through the crowded room, nodding politely to the many scientists mulling about and then sat down at a computer terminal, pushed numerous keys and soon the screen directly in front of him lit up.  
  
It looked like an ordinary solar system to the untrained eye, but Riley got out a large pointer and with his left hand on the mouse he double clicked on a planet and as the screen changed it showed the planet from a much closer view.  
  
"This is our last satellite photograph of Glascoph. Although rumored to be deserted for hundreds, if not thousands of years, we started picking up signals from this quadrant about 6 months ago. We sent a probe out to that system, but it's still a week away from arriving. What we hope to find out is, if there's life on this planet again, if so, who is it and what do they want."

"Wow, this is where my mom lived." Fred said with a wide-eyed smile, unaware of what she'd just said.  
  
Riley took note of what she'd said, "Your mother is from Glascoph?""Oh god, I didn't mean to say that." Fred groaned, her face turning white with fear, "I don't want anyone to know about this. I can't trust anyone right now. Sorry, not even you Riley. Please, don't make me regret saying this."

"I understand Fred. I know it's hard trust and I would do exactly what you're doing if I were in your shoes." Riley said calmly, "Listen, if you don't want to talk about this, that's fine. One day, I hope you'll see that I'm not the enemy. I want the same things as you do. To rid the world of vamps and demons, even we know that not all vamps or demons are what we'd classify as evil or serious threats, so if the Glascoph race is no threat to us, I have no problem with them."  
  
"What if they are a threat? What if I've become a threat now because of this ring? Are you gonna lock me up and perform tests on me?" Fred questioned bluntly, yet still mesmerized by what could be her home planet.  
  
Riley paused and chose his words carefully, "What I hope is that since you have a connection to these people, that alone would help make our two races find a way to work through any differences we might have. Again, that's an unknown right now. I believe the ring was designed to protect you and give you power you didn't know you had. I don't consider that evil, I see that as a brilliant creation."  
  
"You talk of the science of the Glascoph's, but I see no signs that you care about the people, or demons if that's what they were, that made up the planet. Do you even care about them or just the knowledge they might bring?" Fred asked as she looked up at the screen again, "I don't know much about my mother, but what I do know is that she's a warm, kind and loving woman who wanted the best for me. I know she's not human and yet somehow found a way to become human, but to me, it's how I see her now. I can't imagine her being evil. It's not possible. Just because they aren't like us, doesn't make them some threat."

"Fred, you are assuming way too much here. I know you have a personal interest in this situation, but so do we. We are not setting up some massive offensive to go destroy whoever might be on the planet. In fact, what we want is to contact them. Find out what they want or if they even want a thing to do with earth. From our database, we found that the Glascoph's were attacked and destroyed by a violent, warrior type race. But, we do know that something from their planet reached earth, perhaps as long as a thousand years ago, but we don't know what was. It might be nothing more than a fragment from a battle long ago. It could be any number of things, but it could also be a Glascoph that came to earth all those years ago. If so, if it was your mother, we'd like to talk to her. That's all."  
  
Those were the last words Fred wanted to hear, "OMG Riley, why are you just like the Watchers Council? You only care about science and facts and don't care about the emotional impact of anything. I've seen what goes on in the, so-called interrogation labs and it's not pretty. They are treated like prisoners. It's so unfair. You will not talk to my mother ever, if this is all you care about. I have to go now."  
  
"Don't leave like that." Riley said as he stood in front of Fred, "Here's what I promise. If we can talk to her, you can be here the whole time. She will not be kept in some cage or prison, she will simply come in with you and talk to us. That's all we want. Yes, we want some answers, but if you want my gut feeling about this, I believe your mother and the Glascoph race are harmless and present no real threat to us. Until we can verify this first hand, they and any other unknown demon race are treated with caution. I'm sensing that the Watchers Council has your mother right now and is locking her up. If so, I can help free her. Just say the word and I can have her in your care in a matter of days. Something of this magnitude would take some negotiations and would require some kind of compensation and assurances that your mother won't be a threat. I believe you are the only person who can decide that. Which means, you need to talk her about this. I can get you in to see her within hours if you want."  
  
"How can you do this? It's a huge facility with armed guards and a very elaborate security system." Fred wondered as she continued to think about the offer, "I don't want her to become some fugitive. She's old and weak and I want her to be able to relax and enjoy the rest of her life, not be on the run. Can you promise me we can do this without causing problems for her?"  
  
"Yes I can."  
  
"If you are lying to me this will be the last time we ever walk."  
  
"I'm not lying. I can get us in there as soon as I make a couple phone calls. It's up to you." Riley said as he reached for the phone and looked up at Fred, "Just say the word."  
  
Fred didn't have time to think and quickly motioned for Riley to make the call, "Okay, I can't pass up a chance to see my mom, so set it up."

Riley took the cue and began setting it up.

**End of Chapter 31**

**Feedback is welcome and appreciated and a very good motivator. **


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**Buffy Summers' House **

Joyce got up from her seat and managed to lead Giles into the kitchen, "I'm glad you're here. I know it's probably not the best time to get into this, but I need to know everything you told the girls about us, their father and anything else really."  
  
"Well, welcome home." Giles said with the tiniest of smiles, "Seems like it's just one surprise after another with you anymore."  
  
"I'm sorry Giles, but I couldn't tell you what happened. The council was watching my every move." Joyce explained softly. "So, after the accident, it was the only chance I had to get through this. Riley thought I should stay remain dead to everyone until I was well enough to get by on my own. I know it was a horrible thing to do, but at the time, I thought it was the only way."  
  
"I can't begin to understand what you were going through when you made this decision, but I don't think you understand how it affected your children, especially when they had to bury you." Giles' voice rose slightly as he finished his sentence. Calming down slightly he continued, "It's one thing to create a clone, but you should've stopped this charade the moment that clone was killed. My god, Riley knew about this, so there's no excuse to put your daughters through a funeral for no reason."

"I wasn't aware that my clone had died and I have told Riley how I upset I was he didn't inform me, but I can't hold this one thing against him when he helped get me back on my feet." Joyce explained, "When other doctor's had given up on me, he was the one that brought together the best medical minds in the world and together, they all worked their magic and found a way to bring me back from the brink of death."  
  
"Okay, let's move onto another detail that the kids are now aware of, your relationship with Glory. How are you going to explain this to them? They've been through so much so soon and now they have to find out their mother had an affair with a god. A psycho evil god I might add. Just how many other secrets are you keeping from me or them?"  
  
Joyce stood still, stunned at Giles' accusations, "I can't believe you are treating me this way. I guess it was silly to believe you'd be happy to see me. At least I am quickly reminded of why we aren't together anymore. You are just so cold and heartless now."  
  
"I think that's just your way to avoid answering the question. No matter, in time you'll have to answer to your daughters. Some things you can't keep hidden forever. This is one of them." Giles said, staring right through Joyce, "I need to get back to work. Oh and whether you want to believe it or not, I am happy you are alive Joyce. I just hope things work out for you and the girls."  
  
With no response coming to her lips, Joyce stood and watched as Giles walked out of the room and then out of the house. Before she had time feel bad, Dawn walked in and stood in front of her, "Hey, what's the matter? You look sad."  
  
"It's nothing sweetheart. I was just catching up with Giles." Joyce smiled as she spotted Sigmund poking through the front of Dawn's shirt. "What is that and why is it under your shirt?"

Sigmund didn't like the tone from Joyce, "Oh man, are all the Summers women this bitchy? Well, it's nice Dawn didn't get that gene. Anyway, I am under her shirt for comfort, not that it's any of your business."  
  
"What on earth?" Joyce screamed, "You better explain yourself young lady before I take that filthy little thing and toss it in the trash."  
  
"Mom, he's not that bad. He's just got a bit of temper and lashes out at people he doesn't know. He's really very friendly to me. He even helped save my life when you were gone."  
  
"Excuse me. When was your life in danger?"  
  
"Oh right, you don't know about that. Um, well, I guess some bad guy named Ethan Rayne wanted to make a point so he kidnapped me. But, it wasn't that bad, I was only gone for a couple hours. Anyway, Sigmund came to the rescue when one of Ethan's thugs tried to touch me."  
  
Joyce's eyes lit up again, "Touch you? Did he do anything to you? If he did, I will find him and teach him a lesson he won't soon forget."

"No mom, that's what I'm trying to tell you, he tried, but Sigmund came to the rescue and saved me. He's my hero." Dawn smiled and gave Sigmund a kiss on the forehead.

"See, I'm a hero." Sigmund said proudly and then sneered up at Joyce, "Now, could ya get me some mustard and make yourself useful."

"Sigmund, stop that. I told you to ask. You know, say the magic word, please. Okay, now say you're sorry for being rude." Dawn ordered and the pulled him out of her shirt and held him out in front of her mom.  
  
"Oh fine." Sigmund sighed, rolling his colorful eyes around and around until he let out a big moan, and then tried his best to smile, "I am terribly sorry for what I said. I hope you accept my apology and I will try not to do it again."  
  
Joyce leaned down so she was eye level with the mischievous little pet, "You better do more than try."

"Yes mommy." Sigmund nodded, hiding his sarcasm just enough to let it pass.

"Okay, I'm keeping my eye on you." Joyce said as she stared down Sigmund. Standing back up she turned her attention to Dawn, "As for you, from now on whenever Sigmund gets into trouble, you will share his punishment as if you were the one who said it That should be a very good incentive to keep him in line."  
  
"I will teach him better manners. I promise. Can I have a hug now? Cause I've really missed you."  
  
Joyce smiled and moved in and put her arms around Dawn, "I've missed you so much. I know you probably have a million questions about the things you've learned about me and I want to answer them. I do."  
  
"I'm just glad you're back. I love you mom." Dawn said softly, giving her mom another warm hug.

Sigmund grinned as his eyes were once again inches from another woman's chest. He was beginning to enjoy being caught in the middle all the hugs Dawn liked to give out, it just wasn't quite enough to curb his sarcasm, "Great, now that we have that lovely Harlequin moment out of the way, may I please have some mustard Mrs. Summers?"

Joyce looked down at Sigmund, gave it a nasty look and then back at Dawn, "Get that thing out of here."

"What? I said please didn't I?" Sigmund asked as politely as he could, but as he saw the look on Joyce's face, he ducked back under Dawn's sweater and muttered, "Women!" as he disappeared from sight.  
  
** Ethan Rayne's hideout.**

Sitting at the end of an elegant dining table, Ethan Rayne sipped his coffee as he read the paper. Calmly flipping through page after page, his eyes grew wide and his face turned red with anger as he looked at the picture on the entertainment section.It was a picture of Gwendolyn Post attending a special screening of a new movie with Lindsey McDonald by her side.  
  
Furious was an understatement as Ethan stood up, walked over to the wall speakers, pushed the button and screamed for everyone of his associates to get into the room.  
  
Knowing something was seriously wrong, the room filled up with dozens and dozens of his henchmen.  
  
Ethan walked to the front of the room and pulled out a glowing magical staff from under his desk. He waved it in the air as he looked at the room full of people, "It's come to my attention that the lovely Miss Post was at some idiotic movie premiere last night in Los Angeles, with none other than Lindsey McDonald. This upsets me and I don't like to be upset. I want you to bring her here and you can do what you want with Lindsey, I simply don't care about that insignificant bug. Do not harm Gwendolyn; that will be my job. Is that clear? Do not fail. I want her here within 24 hours. Now get going."

A room full of yes's and nods were proof that his men understood the situation clearly. After dispatching them, Ethan sat back down and was about to have another sip of tea when Spike walked into the room.  
  
"Did I catch ya at a bad time?"  
  
"Spike, it's always a pleasure to see you." Ethan said with a cheerful smile.  
  
"I bet it is." Spike laughed, "I hear you went and got all powerful since the last time I saw ya. How's that working out?"

"Quite well I must say." Ethan acknowledged with a nod, "I hear you were turned into a woman? How did that work out?"  
  
Spike sneered back at Ethan, "Word gets around fast these days. Trust me Ethan old boy, it takes more than a two-bit magic spell to keep me out of action. Why don't we get to the point here. It seems like we both have the same goal in mind, so what I'm gonna do is make you an offer."  
  
Ethan stood up and casually walked back over to his desk, "I am a fair man, I'll listen to your offer. Somehow I don't sense it being all that interesting, but please continue."  
  
Walking slowly towards Ethan's desk, Spike stopped and hopped up on the dining room table, "Well, I happened to catch your little tirade about Gwendolyn, I see you still can't keep her under control. Never really could now that I think of it. Wonder what that says about you." Spike said as he turned from Ethan with a big smile on his face, "Anyway, as I was saying, I have some information about the lovely Miss Post that I know you will be interested in."

"Somehow I doubt that Spike, you're rarely on top of things anymore. To busy with your lightweight schemes that always, always fail." Ethan said with a sneer, emphasizing the word fail the most, "Now, if you don't mind, I've got things to do."

"Let's just see about that." Spike said and then turned to the doorway and waited a couple seconds and then Lindsey walked into the room with Gwendolyn on his arm, "Well, you were saying?"  
  
Ethan couldn't hide his shock, surprise or anger at being shown up by Spike, "If you are delivering her to me then perhaps we can work out a deal. If not, I think our business is over and you have just made another in a long line of big mistakes."  
  
"Maybe, maybe not, but what I do know is right now I'm in control and you are about to be rendered useless." Spike turned to Gwendolyn and gave her a simple nod.  
  
Gwendolyn then held out her hands, one holding a Porshalic gem and the other a combination of pig's blood, brimstone and valerian. She began shaking the ingredients almost violently, moving her hand in a bizarre pattern for a good 45 seconds, when she was finished, she held out the portal gem, chanted some bizarre words, then tossed the ingredients onto the gem and from the gem a surge of energy exploded out of it.  
  
A long stream of energy flew towards Ethan in a flash. Entering him from his mouth, the energy seeped through his blood stream and sucked up every ounce of power he had before he could turn into his demon form.  
  
As the energy pulsated inside Ethan, Gwendolyn took out a long, sharp serrated knife and walked over to him, "Now who's got the power? Doesn't feel so good to be on the other end of the power play does it?"

Ethan was defiant to the end, "You better kill me now because if I ever get out of this you will be pay dearly. You all will."

"If you want to die, I think that can be arranged." Gwendolyn said with a sadistic laugh.  
  
"Not just yet." Spike said as she got between Gwendolyn and Ethan, "We still might be able to use him."  
  
"What? That's not part of the deal. You said I could kill him."  
  
Spike walked up to Gwendolyn, grabbed the knife out of her hand and looked her right in the eyes, "And you can, when I say so. Not before. Got it?"

"Don't make me wait Spike, I don't like waiting. Ethan's put me through hell and he's going to pay. With or without your help, so don't try and double-cross me." Gwendolyn said with a demented glare and then looked over at Ethan, "He tried to double-cross me and look where it got him."  
  
Lindsey was becoming impatient with the whole thing, "Look, while you three psycho's decide who's gonna die, let me know. I'll be in the car. I don't have time to watch this little soap opera unravel."  
  
Spike walked up to Lindsey, "I think you've served your purpose. You can go anywhere you want. I don't like you and I don't trust you and the only reason I'm not killing you is because you did help, a little."  
  
"Wow, such a friendly dismissal from a fool." Lindsey laughed as he leveled Spike with a right hand. "Now, let me just set a few things straight. You aren't in charge anymore. You think you used me? Wrong."  
  
Gwendolyn turned to Spike, raised her hand and tossed a fireball right at him. Spike dodged out of the way and got up in the corner of the room, "Well, well, I should've know not to trust the likes of you. So, what's the deal? You think killing Ethan will help you achieve your goal? You're as stupid as Lindsey."  
  
"Such bravado from the little dead man." Gwendolyn shot back and tossed two more fireballs towards Spike, causing him to jump, dodge and fly out of the way yet again.

Jumping up in the other corner of the room Spike dusted himself off and started yapping again, "Are we gonna do this all day? If you want I can kill you both. I just figured we'd have more luck if we worked together on this, but it sure isn't a deal breaker for me."  
  
"Why should we?" Lindsey asked as he stepped back towards Gwendolyn.  
  
"Why? So we can win. That's why." Spike said as he walked boldly up to the other three, "Look, we are all capable of causing some problems for the slayer and well, I've even killed a couple, but now there are two now and that's a whole new problem. We don't have to like each other to work together. When we succeed, there will be more than enough space for all of us to be quite happy. So make a decision. Either we fight and you can all die or we put aside our petty little feuds and get to work on destroying the slayers and the Watchers Council."  
  
"You always did talk a good game Spike, but the problem is, nobody trusts you mate." Ethan said as he finally spoke up, "I don't see how this can work unless we all share the same risk and have the same reward when we accomplish our goal."  
  
"Rubbish." Spike replied, "Trust is overrated. But, you were right about one thing, we need to all have the same risks involved, so that if one of us goes down, we all go down. That way we have more incentive to see this thing through. What's it gonna be? All for one or all alone?"

"I'm in." Ethan said quickly.  
  
"Of course you are, I just stripped you of all your power. You've got nothing to lose." Gwendolyn laughed.  
  
Ethan nodded his agreement and walked into the center of the room, "True enough, but you must also know that when I'm in my demon form I'm the best chance we have of defeating the slayers and crushing the worthless Council.

Spike rolled his eyes, walked up and looked Ethan over from head to toe, "What's so blooming special about this demon Ethan's somehow become?"

"Even I have to admit he was an imposing presence." Gwendolyn added as she sat back down and took a sip of Ethan's wine.  
  
Lindsey walked up to each of the three people in the room and then grabbed the bottle of wine on the table and smashed it against the wall, "Can we just get this over with. Either kill each other or let's get on with it. I'm tired of this endless yacking."

"Can someone tell me what Lindsey brings to the group, aside from being a pain in the ass?" Spike asked as he bumped passed Lindsey.  
  
"I have connections in Wolfram & Hart that none of you have. I can bring manpower or should I say demon power the group. Anything you need done, I can get it done faster." Lindsey stated loudly as he glared at Spike, "Besides, I also seem to be the only sane one of the bunch. Can't have enough of that can we?"  
  
Ethan wasn't impressed with Lindsey's attempted joke, "Your humor is droll and the things you can bring to the group can be found pretty much anywhere, so I'd watch your mouth young lad."  
Lindsey walked over and got up in Ethan's face, "Right, this coming from a washed up old man who had his powers stripped from him without a fight. Sorry if I don't take ya seriously gramps."

"Okay, if there's no objections, can I kill this insignificant little rat?" Ethan said as he grabbed Lindsey around the throat.  
  
"Bring it on." Lindsey said as he backed off and got into a fighting stance.  
  
Gwendolyn sat back and got ready to enjoy the fight, but Spike wasn't the least bit impressed, "Oh god, everywhere I go I get stuck with idiots. Enough."

"Spoken by the biggest and oldest idiot of the bunch." Anya said as she entered the room accompanied by Gunn, Drusilla and a swarm of vamps and assorted security people. "Well, now that we've identified the idiots, I'll get to business."

**End of Chapter 32**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**Lilah's Apartment in downtown LA.**

Angel stood in front of the elevators and then checked his notes to see if he had the address right and then hopped in and rode it up to the penthouse suite. With only two rooms on the top floor, it was easy to find Lilah's.

Knocking on the door as he casually looked around the spectacular artwork in the hallway, Angel heard a scream from inside the room and called out Lilah's name and got a cry for help in return.

Stepping back from the door, Angel lunged towards it with his shoulder leading the way. Smashing it to the ground, he spotted two men trying to get a hold of Lilah.

Unable to enter without an invitation, Angel grabbed a large vase from the floor and tossed it towards one of the men, who simply ignored it as they struggled to subdue the tall feisty woman.

"Lilah, invite me in now!" Angel yelled.

Lilah was about to speak when the other man covered her mouth with his hand and laughed towards Angel, "You can stay there vampire boy. We'll be done soon." 

Pissed off at the attitude of the punk, Angel continued to search for a way inside as did Lilah, who lifted her jaws and dove her teeth into the man's hand, causing him to rip it away from her mouth and as he did, she yelled at Angel, "Come in Angel."

Angel smiled, morphed into vamp form and rushed into the room. It was a short, but decisive battle and in the end, the two men were lying on the floor out cold.

Checking the wallets of the two men, Angel found they worked for Wolfram & Hart security and tossed them over to Lilah, "Well, I'm guessing your stay at Wolfram & Hart's penthouse just came to end."  
  
"It's just as well, I was tired of sleeping with the lights on and looking over my shoulder every 30 seconds." Lilah said as she put the wallets down and thanked Angel with a hug, "I'm glad you showed up when you did. I guess I owe you another one."  
  
"I don't think we keep track of things like that on the good side, do we?" Angel asked, unsure of the proper etiquette of being good, "If we were, you might have to add another to the list after you have a look at this."  
  
Lilah took the folders from Angel and sat down at the table. "What are they? Who's Winifred Burkle?" 

"I don't know, but they were all linked together so I'll let you figure that out." Angel said with a shrug and then walked over to where the door used to be, "I'm on my way to get Gwen out of that place. I don't want to bring her here, but I know a couple safe places I can take her for now. I'll let ya know when we're back in LA."  
  
"I should be there when you get her out." Lilah added as she walked over towards Angel.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. If this doesn't go smoothly, I'm gonna need to move fast and it's best I work alone on this." Angel explained calmly and then paused and looked over at the folders on the table, "Besides, you do need to read those files, I think you'll find them fascinating. I only glanced at them, but I think they are going to prove very valuable. I need to look at this tape first, it may be the key to Gwen' freedom."  
  
Lilah took the tape and slipped it into her VCR and they sat down and began to watch.

It opened with a shot of Gwen lying on the soft psychiatrist couch, eyes closed as the doctor asked her numerous questions about her childhood, her family, her friends and other such things.

Impatient as always, Angel grabbed the remote and fast-forwarded the tape until another person entered the room.  
  
Gwen sat up as the man began yelling at the doctor and then pulled out a gun and aimed and fired 6 times, hitting the doctor with every single bullet.The man then turned the gun towards Gwen, but she jumped out of the way in the nick of time and then grabbed the man's arm and tried to shake the gun loose. A brief struggle occurred and Gwen was pushed backwards and as the man took aim at her and pulled, pulled the trigger, nothing happened.  
  
He started pulling the trigger over and over again but the gun was empty. He dropped it to the floor and attacked Gwen with his bare hands. Quickly putting them around her delicate neck, he began choking her violently.  
  
With no choice left but to defend herself, Gwen put her hands up against his chest and sent a minor shock through his body. He fell backwards onto the floor, grabbed his chest and stared at Gwen in shock.  
  
Still reeling from the jolt, he took off and ran out the door. Moments later a guard rushed in, saw the doctor on the ground, blood everywhere and Gwen sitting on the chair still holding her neck from the previous attack.  
  
Gwen knew exactly what the guard was thinking and got up and started pleading her case, explaining about the other man. The guard wasn't buying it and called for help. Soon the place was swarming with doctors, nurses and security guards.  
  
They gave Gwen an injection that knocked her out and during the fiasco one doctor, picked up the gun with surgical gloves on, wiped the prints off and as Gwen was being taken away, he put the gun in her hand, put her hand on the trigger and slipped the gun back on the floor just before the police arrived. 

"Well, this proves Gwen is innocent. I need you to make copies of this. Numerous copies. Send a couple to Sunnydale, either to the mayor or some guy named Wesley, I'm sure you'll figure out his address. I need to get Gwen out of there now."

"Okay then, take care of my little sister. Call me when you get back." Lilah said and then turned back towards her table and stopped and rushed into the hallway, "Oh, do you anywhere I can stay for a couple nights? I need to get out of here now."  
  
"You can stay at my place. Well, it's one of my places. It's one nobody knows about. Here's the address." Angel said as he handed Lilah a business card, "There's a key in the third row of petunias, just lift it up and you'll see."  
  
Lilah couldn't help but laugh, "Petunia's?"

"Don't ask." Angel smiled and then took the stairs down to the main floor and took the sewers back to his car and headed for the airport.  
  
Lilah went back inside and began reading.

**Outside the Bronze.  
  
**

Buffy and Faith walked up the Bronze, looked around and instantly knew something wasn't right. It wasn't more than a few seconds before there instincts were proven correct.  
  
Glory stepped in front of the two slayers and she didn't look very happy.  
  
Faith walked right up to her, "Oh what the hell do you want now? Can't ya go piss off some demons or something?"  
  
"I didn't come to talk to you, so be gone." Glory said with an annoyed look and then smacked Faith across the side of the head, sending her flying backwards against a fence, "Why don't you go save your friend Gwen. I hear a vampire is on his way to help her escape, but she doesn't know why. I do." 

Faith got up mad as hell and with rage in her eyes; she ran towards Glory but promptly got knocked on her ass by Buffy.

Getting up with a look of confusion and anger mixed together, Faith gave Buffy a push backwards, "What are you doing? Are you on her side now?"  
  
"No, I just didn't want to see you do something stupid." Buffy said as she moved up close to Faith, put her arm around her shoulder and walked away from Glory a few more feet, "Listen, let's not forget she's a god, okay? I think she's being honest about Gwen. Maybe you should go see if she needs help. I'll take care of Glory for now."  
  
"Not until I get one shot in. No way is she gonna put me on my ass and smile about it." Faith said, staring over Buffy's shoulder at Glory.  
  
"Listen, if I help you get your little revenge out of the way, will you go check on your friend?" Buffy asked as she put her hand on Faith's chin and made her look at her.  
"Fine."  
  
"Okay, then let's get this over with. Follow my lead." Buffy said as she led Faith back over to Glory.  
  
"I have something I need to talk to you about, but I'm not doing in front of your unstable little slayer friend." Glory said as she glared back at Faith.  
  
"Well, I think we can work something out, but first, Faith has something for you." Buffy said and then stepped aside and waved Faith forward.  
  
Glory tapped her heels as she looked over her fingernails with a child like wonder, "I hope it's an apology for her rudeness."  
  
"Nope." Faith said shaking her head as she planted her left foot firmly on the ground and sent her right fist flying through the air until it landed squarely on Glory's left jaw, knocking her hard to the ground with a big heavy thud.  
  
Buffy jumped in the middle of two women and nodded her head at Faith, "Now you're even. Go take care of your friend. I'll be fine."  
"Thanks." Faith said with huge smile, "I'm gonna miss ya. You owe me a night of dancing. I won't be long." Faith looked down at Glory, smiled and waved as she took off down the street. 

Glory hopped to her feet with one quick leap, took aim at Faith with her right hand and got ready to send a fireball her way when Buffy stepped in front of her, "I can't let you do that."  
  
"You think you can stop me?" Glory asked, turning her hand towards Buffy.  
  
Buffy pushed Glory's hand to the side, "Could ya stop being super bitch for like one minute? Good, now you said you had something you wanted to tell me about? Here I am."  
  
"I don't know what to make of you. You're either very brave or very stupid, but you're right, I do want to talk to you about something." Glory said and then walked up to the front door of the Bronze, "Care to join me?"  
  
"Might as well." Buffy nodded and followed Glory up to the front of the Bronze.  
  
Glory opened the door and led the way inside. It was empty, but Glory wasn't surprised as she had set it all up.  
  
"Welcome to my little home." Glory said as she hopped up on one of the many tables in the club, "Did ya want to dance or talk first?"  
  
"I didn't say I was here to dance, so just say what you need to." Buffy said, standing with her arms folded and doing her best to look unimpressed.  
  
"So be it. You're no fun." Glory sulked and jumped down and stood in front of Buffy, "Where do I begin?"  
  
Out of the back of the Bronze a voice called out, "Wait for me."  
  
Glory and Buffy looked on as Dawn came running out from the dark. She ran over and stood beside Buffy, "Why is she here again?"  
"Oh goody, the little one is here, well I might as well tell you both the story of me and your mother. Sit down, get comfortable, it's a very long and exciting story of love, adventure and what might've been. Did you want a drink? Scotch, whiskey or maybe you're just a beer drinking gal?" Glory asked as she walked towards the bar.

"Thanks for the offer, but why don't you tell me how you met my mom." Buffy said as she sat back down and tried to be as objective as possible.

"Okay, but just remember, you asked." Glory chirped in with a big smile, "Well, I don't want to bore you with all the details, but just to set the stage I'm going to take you back to when I first arrived in Sunnydale." 

Buffy lowered her head to her lap at the thought of hearing Glory's life story, "Fine, just don't get so caught up talking about you that you forget why we're here."

Glory wasn't phased by Buffy's lack of interest, "Let's see, I believe it was the summer of 77', I had just heard about this beautiful slayer who was turning heads with her quest to rid the world of those lowly vampires and I just had to see who they were talking about. It didn't take long to find Joyce, she was still in school at the time, I believe it was close to graduation for her, but she was more interested in doing her job than being prom queen. When I first met her I had to pretend I was someone else, so I told her I was graduating from another school and also planned to go to Sunnydale U."

"Why would she believe you?" Dawn asked as she fed Sigmund some more mustard.

"Why?" Glory asked with an insulted tone, "I don't understand the question, why wouldn't she believe me?"

Dawn was equally surprised that she had to explain herself, "Well, I can't imagine her being all that trustworthy of strangers. You know, considering she always had to watch her back."

"Well, I can be very charming when I want to. I had no agenda towards the slayer. I was just curious about how a human woman had so much power. It intrigued me to no end to watch her fight so effortlessly. Your mother was an amazing slayer. There was nothing but business in her mind when she met a vampire. It was usually over quickly and her victory decisive. It was a thing of beauty, as was your mother."

"Can we skip the parts about you and her and whatever went on between you two. I don't know if I can listen to it." Buffy shook her head and scrunched her face up as she thought of the whole thing.

"You will hear it all or none. Please choose." Glory said, once again offended by such comments.

"Oh fine, just get on with it." Buffy sighed.

"It was at the University open house that I first had contact with her in person. Even gods have to go through certain human rituals when trying to get a place to stay." Glory smiled as she remembered that first meeting. "Your mother was late for registration and forgot to bring her purse and had no ID on her and it wasn't a pretty sight. I watched as she talked to the admissions director and begged for a place on campus, as her parent's were moving away because of her dad's job in the army. She desperately needed to stay on campus and I jumped to the rescue."

"Oh god, what did you do?" Dawn asked, assuming the worst.

"Planning ahead is a strong suit of mine, I booked a room for two and gave the name of someone I knew wasn't going to make it and then offered it to your mother. She was in a bind so she accepted my offer and we became roommates."

"Just great." Buffy said sarcastically.

"Actually, it turned out to be better than I ever imagined. In time, Joyce began to trust me. She would confide in me some of her deepest feelings. Then, in the third month she told me she was a slayer." Glory said proudly, "I had no idea how good it could feel to have someone trust you with something so big. I was at loss at what to say for the first time in my life. Your mother felt I could be trusted. It was the most amazing feeling I'd ever experienced."

"How is this possible? You're evil." Dawn said, not happy about anything she was hearing.

Glory walked slowly towards Dawn, "Such an innocent your girl you are. With that innocence, comes ignorance. Much like with humans, not all gods are the same. There are good and evil gods, just the same as there are evil humans. Many of them I might add."

"I don't believe you. Everyone says you were evil. So what, you're telling me everyone else is wrong?" Buffy said, walking up to Glory and staring up at the taller woman.

"You can believe what you want. I have no desire to change your mind. I am here to tell you what happened. If you shut up and let me continue, perhaps you'll learn a thing or two about why people began thinking of me as evil. In your human world, one of the worst qualities you possess is the ability to start rumors based on pieces of truth and twisting them to mean something they don't. I'm not going to beg you to believe me, but I will tell you what really happened to get those rumors started."  
"Fine, just get this over with." Buffy said and quickly sat back down.  
  
"Good. Now where was I." Glory sighed, "Oh right, when your mother told me she was a slayer, something inside of me changed. I know you don't want to believe it, but I do have feelings just like you. As a god I did lose touch with them for hundreds of years. I became a different person. Deep down, I longed to become more human again. When your mother told me she was a slayer, I told her I was a god and wished to help her with her job."  
Both Buffy and Dawn were stunned at the latest revelation and Glory couldn't help but enjoy it.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you can imagine her reaction. She laughed and thought it was sweet that I wanted to help. I had to show her some of the things I could do. It didn't take long before she believed I was what I said."  
  
"But why would you want to help her? I thought you just wanted to observe?" Buffy asked, still very uneasy about the things she was learning.  
  
"My goals changed the moment Joyce put her trust in me. I've never had that from anyone. Certainly not from other gods, they don't trust anyone. Anyway, I'd love to go into more detail about that night, because it was so emotional for both of us. She was able to unload this huge burden and I was able to do the same thing. It's impossible for words to capture the mood of that night. You have no idea how emotional it was. That's when our bond began."  
  
"I understand how it feels to tell people a secret. I know what it's like to bond with someone while slaying. I bonded instantly with Faith. It was amazing." Buffy said, her face lighting up as she thought of Faith, "But, we're both humans. We're both on the same side. We want the same things. You're not like my mother. I don't understand how she could trust you so deeply."

"Well Buffy, there are some things in life you can't explain." Glory said with a rare serious expression, "After we shared our secrets, I began going on patrols with your mother. We became a great team. Nothing got in our way and we had pretty much eliminated a huge portion of the vampires and demons in Sunnydale when her watcher got wind of me."  
"I bet that didn't go over well." Buffy smiled, enjoying another of Glory's disappointments just a little too much. 

**End of Chapter 33.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**Watchers Council's Underground Facility.**

Riley used his passkey to get past the first three checkpoints, but as they came to the medical center, his passkey wouldn't work.

"Damn it, they must've changed the locks since my last visit."  
  
"Now what?" Fred asked, looking around at the countless doctors, nurses and security personnel that filled the floor.  
  
"Well, now it's time to become even more creative." Riley smiled and then put his arm around Fred, "How's your head? Still seeing visions of demons?"  
  
Fred looked up at Riley as if he'd lost his mind, "What are you talking about?"

"Just follow my lead." Riley said and then led the way to main reception desk.  
  
An attractive woman greeted them with a smile, "Hello, how may I help you?"  
  
"I need to talk to Dr. Bannam right now. It's an emergency. My wife may have a demon inside her. He's told me to come as soon as I was sure and I am. Hurry, if it gets out you won't have a chance to leave that desk. Come on woman, do you want to die?" Riley yelled at the top of his lungs.  
  
"But, I'm not supposed to..."

"No but's, just get your butt over to his office and tell him to meet me in the lab. He'll know where to go. We've been through this before. Hurry. There's no time for debate. I'm going there now, I just hope I make it before the demon takes over my wife. My god, she's been through so much, please help her."  
  
Fred began to moan and growl and flail her arms in the air as the receptionist looked on in sheer horror. Within seconds she bolted from her desk and took off down the hall.  
  
"Nicely done Fred, you had me going there for a second." Riley said with an appreciative nod, "Okay, let's get going, we won't have much time."  
  
Fred followed as Riley led the way through a maze of corridors and labs until they came to the secured portion of the medical facility.  
  
"From what I remember there are only about a dozen patients that warrant this kind of security, most are demons, vampires or other unidentified creatures." Riley said as he looked around the area, finally stopping in front of a locked door. "The last time I was here I had to go through some elaborate check points. They took a retinal scan and handprint as well as a voice recognition program and there's no way we can do that alone. Which means we need some help."  
  
"Oh and you have some help lined up do ya?" Fred asked sarcastically.  
  
Riley grinned, "Not exactly, but that wouldn't be near as much fun."

Removing a small metal device from his jacket, Riley walked up to the locked door, inserted the device into the key slot, pushed a couple buttons and presto, the door opened.  
  
"Impressive." Fred said as she followed Riley into the next section of the facility.  
  
There were three hallways as they entered, left, right and straight ahead. Looking up at the signs above each corridor, they saw one called, Demon patients, listed to the right, so that's where they headed.  
  
Calmly walking past the occasional staff and assorted personnel, they made their way through a series of winding corridors and down a set of stairs where they came face to face with Dr. Bannam and a group of four armed guards.

"Riley Finn, I wasn't expecting you today." Dr. Bannam said as he walked up to Riley, looking up at the much taller man, "I see you brought the lovely Miss Burkle along as well. I'd be interested in knowing why you are here and how you got past the security to get to this point."  
"Hi there doc, I meant to call, but things happened so fast I had no time." Riley being explaining in a state of mock panic, "Fred was experiencing some bizarre physical changes and I had no way to deal with such things at my lab and she kept calling out for her mother and I thought maybe she could help explain what Fred was going through."  
  
Dr. Bannam walked over to Fred, looked her over and stepped back, "She looks perfectly healthy to me. Perhaps you were mistaken."  
  
Fred then began convulsing violently, screaming hysterically and then she ran at the first guard, pawing at his chest as she glared at him with evil in her eyes.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with her?" Dr. Bannam asked as he stepped behind Riley.  
  
Riley grabbed the doctor around the collar and lifted him off his feet until he was eye level with him, "That's what I'm here to find out. Just let her see her mom for a couple minutes. It might be all she needs. We have no idea what kind of power she possesses, but if it's anything like I suspect, we are all in danger if she doesn't find out how to control it."

"Fine, but I'm not letting her out of here if she is out of control, so you can either take her now or hope a talk with her mother takes care of this." Dr. Bannam explained as he adjusted his shirt and tie.  
  
"Lead the way, I'll take care of Fred. Let's go." Riley yelled and pushed the doctor forward, grabbed Fred and rushed down the hallway with her.  
  
It was a long and tedious walk through the many security checkpoints, but finally they made it to the cell they were holding Marisella.

Dr. Bannam opened the door and Fred walked in, then turned and rushed towards the doctor and began choking him.

Riley pulled Fred off and pushed her into the room and closed the door. He ran over to the doctor, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, but she's crazy. She had the strength of ten men the way she attacked me. I'm lucky to be alive."

"I think you better go get someone have a look at you. I sure hope she didn't damage your neck." Riley said, having a hard time keeping a straight face, "I'll stand guard here."

The doctor grabbed at his neck and then took off down the hall.

Inside the room Fred gave her mother a big hug and then sat down beside her on the bed, "I'm so happy to be here. Are you okay? Are they treating you good?"  
  
Marisella took Fred's hand, "Yes, I'm fine, but you shouldn't be here. I know you aren't scheduled and I don't want you getting in trouble because of me."

"I found the ring." Fred said as she held it up for her mother to see, "I wanted to know what it does and what I'm supposed to now."  
  
"Oh this is such good news." Marisella said and then soon began shaking and coughing uncontrollably, but she fought hard to keep it under control and made sure to smile back at Fred as she continued, "This ring is my gift to you. I can't explain everything it can do for you, but it has power that you can't imagine. Power, that in the wrong hands could be devastating for your planet. Mostly it's just a pretty ring that is meant to share our legacy with you."  
  
"I will treasure it forever. I can feel an energy coming from it. It feels warm and safe, just like I feel when I'm here with you." Fred smiled a sad smile as she touched her mother's cheek with her hand.  
  
"I have to tell you something that is going to change your life again. I hope for the better, but only time will tell how it unfolds." Marisella said and then slowly got to her feet and walked away from Fred, "I didn't think I'd see you again and I wasn't sure if I should burden you with this news, but now I see it's not a burden at all, it's a blessing."  
  
"What is?"  
  
"I've lived a long time and experienced so many things that I wish I had to share with you, but what I want to share with you now is something I hope you will embrace and be happy about." Marisella paused and walked back over and sat down beside Fred again, "You have a sister."  
  
Fred sat silent, stunned by what she'd just heard.  
  
"I know it's hard to believe and even harder understand, but it's true. I wish I knew more about her, but sadly I've never seen her since she was born. I just hope she's had a good life."

"I don't know what to say. I can't believe this. Is she older than me or younger or what? You must know something about her."  
  
"She's five years older than you. I'm sorry, but I don't know much more." Marisella said somberly, "I had to give her up for adoption. It's a long story, but I wasn't in a good situation back then. I was in England at the time and I needed to get out. I made sure she was safe and given to a good home. I do know the last name of the people was Raiden. I know they took her back to the US, but I lost track of them after that."  
  
"I will find out more about them and I will find her to. I promise." Fred said as she hugged her mother tightly.  
  
Riley knocked and entered the room, "I hate to interrupt, but we have to go now. Something's not right. I saw some guards rushing around in the back room and then there was some kind of explosion and there's no time to figure out what's going."  
  
Fred nodded to Riley, "Okay, we're ready." and then looked over at her mother, "Are you sure you can travel?"  
  
"Yes, I'll find a way." Marisella said softly.  
  
Riley led the way out of the room and made his way back through the maze of doors, corridors and was pleased yet surprised at the lack of security they had to encounter.  
  
Once outside, they were met by a trio of men in suits.

One of the three men rushed up to Riley, "You need to get back to the lab. It's Oz."

"What about Oz?"  
  
"He's gone." The man replied quickly.

"Okay, he does leave the lab every now and then, so what's the big emergency?"  
  
"Sampson said he was looking through your tapes and found the one where you were talking about what to do with Oz after you found out he was a werewolf. Apparently he went berserk, trashed your office and then took off."  
  
Riley was furious, but only at himself for not destroying the tapes long ago, "You better tell me you had someone follow him?"

"We tried, but he incapacitated the half dozen men we sent after him. We are working the streets trying to find out where he might have gone."  
  
"Fine, I'll meet you back at the lab." Riley said with a heavy sigh and then turned to Fred and Marisella, "Sorry about that. I was going to take you back to the lab, but I think that's the first place the Watchers Council will come looking, so I think it's best to take you somewhere they wouldn't expect."  
  
"Which would be where?" Fred asked bluntly.  
  
Riley started walking towards his van as he responded, "I have a friend in Sunnydale that will be able to keep you both safe. I just hope he's still around and hasn't gotten himself into another mess."  
  
"That doesn't sound all that reassuring." Fred snickered, "Why don't I just take her to Buffy's house? Giles wouldn't turn her in. I trust him. They don't like the bureaucracy anymore than we do."

"I don't know, I just can't see Giles keeping something like this from his own people. "Riley said as he stopped in front of his van, "I can't force you to go with me, but I think you're taking a risk trusting anyone associated with the Watchers Council."  
  
Fred raised her eyebrows and gave Riley a dirty look, "Um hello, I'm with the Watchers Council. We aren't all bad you know."  
  
"Right, I forgot, you don't seem like the type. Anyway, if that's where you want to go I'll drive you there." Riley added, not thrilled with Fred's decision, but still willing to support her. "Take my card if you need anything."  
  
"Thanks." Fred said as she put his card into her purse, helped Marisella into the van and then motioned for Riley to move out.

**End of Chapter 34**

**Feedback is welcome and appreciated. **


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35.**

**Back at the Bronze.**

"I bet that didn't go over well." Buffy smiled, enjoying another of Glory's disappointments just a little too much.

"You're right, it didn't." Glory said bluntly, "Your mother's first watcher was very old school. He was in his late 50's and still lived in the past. He didn't believe in slayers having or needing help. He didn't believe in being friends with the slayer. He was a cold, unfeeling old man who demanded perfection from Joyce and yet was anything but perfect himself."

Buffy sat up as she heard about her mother's watcher, "I don't know much about her first watcher. I only know about Giles and I'm still trying to deal with that."

"I can tell you that Giles is a saint compared to Carlton Edwards III. He was a lazy man who enjoyed pushing Joyce to her limits. He spent his time pointing out her failings, yet never spent a second on all the things she did so well. Once he found out Joyce was working with someone, he was furious. At first he wanted to have her suspended for putting a human's life in danger, but then, he used one of his many contacts with the dark side to find out that I was a god."

"I knew it. You put my mom's life in danger. This is what I'd expect." Buffy jumped on the first chance she could to condemn Glory.

"Aren't we quick to judge? You sure want me to be the bad guy. Why is that?" Glory asked, stepping in front of Buffy.

Buffy was quick to get in Glory's face again, "I don't want you to be anything. I know what I've heard and I know I don't trust you. All I know is you put my mom's life in danger. Did you want me to smile and thank you? That's not how it works."

"I want you to listen to the whole story before you make up your mind." Glory said, resisting the urge to put Buffy in her place. "If I may continue, once Carlton found out I was a god he actually came to me and tried to buy me off. He was willing to give me money, secrets or anything else I wanted, just so I'd stay away from Joyce. I turned him down and told him to stay away from me or I'd get mad. He didn't take that well as you might expect."

"Not many people respond well to orders." Buffy added.  
"Maybe not, but I wasn't concerned about his feelings. He was trying to keep me away from your mother and I wouldn't have it and neither would she." Glory paused as she thought about how Joyce used to defend her so strongly to Carlton, "It wasn't until Carlton saw us kissing one night that he really became incensed."

"Oh god, spare me the details." Dawn said as she put her hands over her ears.

"There's nothing dirty about a kiss little one." Glory smiled, "I'm not sure what motivated him the most, but he was determined to get me out of your mother's life, no matter what he had to do to accomplish it. Let me tell you something, Carlton Edwards is a very creative man."

"You say it like you're impressed by it." Buffy said, constantly looking for ways to pick at Glory.

"Yes, I was impressed, but only so I could understand him better. I had to learn what he was capable of before I could figure out a way to stop him." Glory explained, "I underestimated him. I wasn't prepared for the elaborate lengths he went to in order to discredit me and make me look bad."

"Awe, what did big bad Carlton do?" Buffy mocked.  
"He created lies about me. Lies even I had trouble explaining. Even back then, 20 years ago, he had access to technology that allowed him to create some of the most elaborate and believable lies ever. It's something you both should hope never happens to you. Once the trust was gone, the relationship we had was gone with it."

Buffy was shaking her head, "I don't believe our mother would accept a lie about someone she trusted. She's the fairest person I've ever known. I just don't see her getting fooled by some made up story. It makes no sense."

"No, it doesn't make sense and I'll tell ya why, it all looked real. Everything they did. I couldn't explain it. I believed it was real and I knew it wasn't. I thought at first they had somehow cloned me or it was just a look-alike, but it wasn't. The voice was me, the body, the movement, everything. Using digital remastering, they were able to create a tape of me doing things I can hardly talk about even now. Even knowing they are lies and manipulations."

"How did one man do all this?" Dawn asked, opening up yet another packet up mustard for Sigmund.

"He wasn't acting alone. He had the help of the Watchers Council. They did not like your mother working with me any more than Carlton did. They helped create all this. It took them months to set it all up and then they brought in Joyce to see their little show. I can't imagine how seeing all that must have hurt her. They were so cruel in what they did. It was malicious. It was designed to hurt Joyce. It did. It was designed to make her lose trust in me. It did. It was designed to make her hate me and want to destroy me. It did all that."

"You still haven't said what they showed her. It had to be pretty bad for my mom to believe it and then turn against you so quickly. Didn't she give you a chance to explain?" Buffy asked, hoping to hear a yes in Glory's response.

"Yes, she did ask me to explain, but at the time I had no idea what she'd seen. She kept saying it was too hard for her to even think about. I just knew it was bad. She asked if I knew some names she tossed out. I didn't. I'd never met the people she mentioned, but of course she'd seen me on tape with these people so it looked like I was lying. Worst of all, they had created a tape of me in bed with Spike. She knew of Spike, she talked about wanting to be the one who stopped his reign of terror and make sure he never killed another slayer. Sadly, the Spike tape wasn't even the worst thing they had me do."  
For a moment, both Buffy and Dawn felt sorry for Glory, but neither wanted to show it. Buffy did want to hear more though, "What was the worst thing they had you do on these tapes?"  
Glory paused and sat down beside Buffy, "I don't know if I can talk about it. It shows the depth of depravity that people will go to just to get their way. It's the worst side of humans. What they showed me doing was something I still can't believe happened."

"I think we need to know everything." Buffy said softly, "In order to understand what went on with you and my mother, we both deserve the truth; all of it, even the not so nice parts. If you don't think Dawn should hear this, then I'll have her leave the room."

Dawn's face turned red with anger and she got to her feet and stomped then on the floor in front of her sister, "Oh no you won't. I'm not a child. I want to know what this is about as much as you do.

"I think she can hear it, it's not the worst thing in the world, it's just horrible that they would have me do this. I saw the tape afterwards and I don't know how they did it, but I swear, it was real, except I was never with this person." Glory said, looking at the faces of the two girls across from her, "Okay, they had me in bed with a younger girl, someone about your age Buffy, or maybe even closer to Dawn's age, she was certainly underage. Apparently, she was a neighbor's daughter, someone your mother took care of when she was younger. So the fact your mother knew her and loved her almost like her own just made it even sicker for your mother to see."

"You didn't sleep with this girl?" Buffy asked, just to be sure."

"No I did not sleep with her." Glory shouted, offended she had to answer that after her emotional speech just moments before, "I was in love your mother then, I wouldn't do that to her. I was experiencing something I'd never thought I'd get a chance to. Feelings, emotions and I was so happy when this all started. I wasn't sure what I was feeling until I started losing your mother to these lies and rumors. But the thought of not being with her was the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life. It was unbearable and it still is, because I've never seen her since. Some of it was my choice, but most of it was part of an agreement I made with this company I began working for. I wasn't allowed to have contract with your mother ever again. At the time I signed the contract, I didn't think there was any hope for us and yes, I was still angry that she believed all those lies."  
"Sounds like you gave up on my mom." Dawn said, almost upset at the idea.

"There's still some things you don't know. Like why your mother banished me for all those years. At first, she just wanted me away from her. It was too hard for her to see me, so I moved out. That wasn't enough for Carlton, he wanted me dead and gone. So he took his little plan to the next level."

"How much worse can he get?" Buffy asked.

"Much worse." Glory answered as she began pacing back and forth in front of the two girls, "Joyce's mom and dad moved to Washington and they would fly up for the holidays and I even met them once at Thanksgiving and they were really nice people. It was a couple weeks before Christmas and her dad called and said they had to come early because he would be out of town on Christmas day. They arranged to visit on the Friday before Christmas and since your mother was so upset about everything, this was a perfect time for her to see them again. Only it never happened. They died in a tragic plane crash that killed everyone aboard. She thought it was an accident for the first couple weeks, but then Carlton came to her door and spun a much different story."

Dawn was visibly angry at the things Carlton had done, "I hate this guy already and I don't even know him. How did he get to work for the Watchers Council, aren't they the good guys?"

"Even good guys can do bad things. It's what makes humans so unpredictable." Glory said as she looked over at Dawn, "Carlton tried to console your mother, but she wasn't happy to see him. He told her that it was it me who caused the plane to crash and that I did it out of anger and for revenge for her kicking me out of her life. They had created yet another lie of tape where it showed me tampering with the plane's engines. I mean, it was so diabolical, in many ways it was pure evil genius."

"I still don't understand how this could happen to a god." Buffy said, as she tried to comprehend everything Glory was telling her, "Couldn't you just zap your hand and make it all go away? What powers do you even have? It doesn't seem like you did a thing to help yourself. You just let this guy railroad you out of town without a fight. I don't get it."

"I guess that's where the emotions came into play. I didn't see the tapes until years after, but at the time I couldn't imagine what they showed her that could make her lose trust in me so quickly. I was hurt. I felt like she didn't give me the benefit of the doubt. I wasn't used to feeling these things. I was used to being in control. I felt weak and I didn't handle the situation very well, but once your mother felt I was responsible for killing her parent's, she wanted me to pay. I couldn't fight back, not like I used to. I didn't want hurt her. She was a victim of a sick game, but I couldn't bring myself to use my powers on her. In the end, I let her banish me."

"So she banished you where?"

"Into another dimension. Even the other gods couldn't reach me for over 15 years. I was stuck in space. Time moved faster in this dimension, but it was still a long, long, time in the middle of nowhere. All's I could do was think. When you think for that long, you tend to go a bit crazy. I lost track of reality and even when I was released, I was still not quite there, you know. I needed time to clear my head and while I was clearing my head, Wolfram & Hart approached me about joining them."

"You, a bit crazy? Say it isn't so." Dawn said with a sarcastic smile, with Sigmund rolling over laughing at Dawn's little dig.

Buffy didn't smile, she was too busy focusing on the law firm Glory just mentioned, "Wolfram & Hart? We've just found out that they're an evil law firm that is not to be trusted and you worked for them? Tell us how you're not evil again?"

"Just to set the record straight, I didn't work for them, I was and still am the CEO. Technically, they worked for me. Glad we got that out of the way." Glory said calmly and kept on going, "I still find it amusing and more than a little annoying how you ignore most everything I just said and pick out one little thing you don't like, just so you can paint me as evil. That's fine, but I'm not gonna deny working there, but it doesn't change a thing that happened before your mother banished me. I still don't if she knew the truth about the tapes being manipulated. Now that I do, I wanted to show her that she was wrong about me."

"I don't know if she knows about the tapes either, but that's between you are her. Why did you come to us? Why not go directly to her?" Buffy asked, still unclear about Glory's motives.  
"Well, I thought your mom was going to be home today, so I had no idea you were here." Glory responded as she stood up and looked out the window, "I am glad I got a chance to talk to you about all this. It was good to get it all out in the open.

"I still have no proof any of what you said really happened, so I will treat you like an evil god until someone can confirm any of this story of yours. Now, get out." Buffy ordered as she walked up to the much taller woman.

Glory smiled at Buffy, and looked down at her, "Out of respect for your mother I will refrain from squashing you, for now, but if you continue your insolent behavior, that will change in a heartbeat."

"Goodbye Glory." Buffy said, holding in what she wanted to say.

"Yes, goodbye Buffy and it was nice meeting you Dawn. You're such a pretty young woman." Glory then turned back to Buffy, "I'm sure we'll be meeting again. Tell your mom I stopped by. Thanks, bye now."

Buffy held Dawn close and watched as Glory disappeared from the room.

"She said I was pretty. Maybe she isn't crazy after all." Dawn said with a smile.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Buffy grinned and began tickling her sister.

**End of Chapter 35.**


	36. Chapter 36

** Hi there. I realize it's been insanely too long since I last posted anything on this story, but that is about to change. I won't bore you with the details, but I can say that the story is finished and I will be posting it in its entirety over the next several weeks. There's still plenty left to post. For those of you coming in late, obviously it would be best to go back to chapter one and start from there. I sincerely apologize for this horrible delay, but hope you will enjoy the rest of the story as I post it. Thank you. Buffyfaith19  
**

**Chapter 36.**

**Tranquil Nights Psychiatric Facility.**

Angel arrived through the basement, via the sewers, something he was really becoming sick of since he moved to LA.

He made his way up through the stairs until he came to the 3rd floor, which was clearly marked, Dangerous Patients, and slowly charmed his way past numerous nurses and was politely guided to room 336.  
Peering inside the small window on the thick steel door, he spotted Gwen lying on the bed, apparently asleep. Quickly morphing into his vamp form, he tried to use his strength to rip the door off it's hinges, but it wouldn't budge.

Walking over to the large bulletin board on the main wall, he searched for the name of the Erdrick Smithson. He spotted it at the top of the board, room 999. Another six flights of stairs later and Angel found himself on the top floor of the facility, which was remarkably quiet, especially considering how busy the 3rd floor was.

Not surprisingly, there was a guard outside the doctor's office, but after a rather easy fight, the guard was resting comfortably on the floor as Angel pushed opened the door and walked into the room.

It looked more like a penthouse suite of a fortune 500 company, with gold the primary color in the large oval shaped office. Statue's of every size and shape adorned the many specially designed, gold shelves throughout the room, with paintings, sculptures and other artwork filling up the remaining space on the shelves and the walls.

Sitting at his gold plated desk, Dr. Smithson lifted his graying head up from his work and pointed a crossbow at Angel's heart, "We don't get many vampires here. Were you looking for something?"

"Actually not so much something, but someone." Angel said as he walked up to the front of the desk and took a seat across from the doctor, who he just saw planting evidence against Gwen hours before.

"Well, a name would be a good start."

"Gwen Raiden is the name and I need her released today. It's by order of Wolfram & Hart's senior partners." Angel took out his card and tossed in on the desk, "I'm Angelus, I am head of security for Wolfram & Hart and I'm here to remove Gwen for an urgent assignment that fits her special qualifications."

Dr. Smithson picked up Angel's card, looked it over and then put it in desk, "It seems official, but I've had no word about any of this from Glory or Holland, so I will need to verify this before I can release Gwen. You understand."

"Of course I do, but here's the thing, I don't have time for this." Angel said with a smile and then lunged forward, ripped the crossbow out of the Smithson's hand and sat back down. "My job is also on the line and when you fail at Wolfram & Hart you end up dead, so you can verify this anytime you want, but I'm taking Gwen now and if anyone tried to stop me I will have no choice but to kill them."

Stunned by the ease at which Angel disarmed him, the doctor became equally scared and cautious, "This is highly unusual and not how Wolfram & Hart handles patient removals, especially the likes of Gwen Raiden, who can be very dangerous."

"Let's cut to the chase doc, I know you framed Gwen, I've seen the tape and so have many others." Angel got up and walked up behind the doctor, "You are in a whole lot more trouble from the law than you are from me or Wolfram & Hart. Planting evidence is a serious crime and you need to get out of town before your life falls apart. Now, give me the key to Gwen's room and I'll let ya have a head start."

"I can't go to jail. I have a wife and family. I wouldn't last." He said as he opened his desk and handed Angel the master key as well as a ring of keys to other secured rooms in the facility. "Fine, take the key, I don't care, have the office to." Dr. Smithson then got up and rushed over to his wall safe, removed a huge pile of money and documents and started packing it into a small carrying case.

"Just one second there." Angel said as he reached in and removed the documents, "I think I'll hold onto these for you."

"Fine, take the transactions I've had with Wolfram & Hart over the years, but some of those are my stocks and bonds and I will need those."

Angel sorted through the files and left the ones he didn't need. "You have a nice trip then. If I were you, I would stay clear of Wolfram & Hart. It seems they think you leaked this tape as a way to extort more money from them. I don't think they are very happy."

"I did no such thing." The doctor protested vehemently.

"I guess you can always try and talk them out of it. I'm sure they'll listen. They are an understanding bunch aren't they." Angel said with a smirk.

"This is absurd. I have to go." The doctor yelled and then took off out the door.

Angel grabbed the keys and the files and made his way back to the 3rd floor. But, as he ran back to Gwen's room, he saw the door lying in pieces on the floor and the room was empty.

Turning around, he spotted two dark haired women run into an elevator on the other side of the room. Assuming they were going down, he headed to the stairs and flew down to the main floor and rushed into the lobby but was again just a couple seconds too late as he saw the two girls hop into limo and take off.  
He ran out into the parking lot, managed to write down the license plate number of the limo and then ran back to his car and tried to pick up their trail.

As he watched the limo easily pull away from him, he wondered why he kept his beat up old Plymouth convertible around. Angel pushed his foot down on the gas and began a serious pursuit of the limo.

Eventually, he caught up to the smooth running car, pulled in front of it and began slowing down. As he thought over his options, he came up with his new plan.

He began swerving back and forth across the highway, speeding up and then slowing down, generally driving like a lunatic.

When the limo tried to pass him, Angel turned his car into the front end of the limo, pushing it off course and causing it to spin and slide across the road and into the ditch.

Angel popped out of his car, ran over to the limo and opened the passenger side and jumped in.

Faith didn't waste any time in attacking Angel either, giving him a swift kick in the head with her foot, she hopped on top of him, and pulled out a steak.

Angel grabbed her arm and held her off as he leaned over and looked at Gwen, "Hi there. You must be Gwen. Lilah sent me to get you out of that place."

Gwen wasn't sure what to make of Angel, "What? Who are you?"

Angel struggled to fend Faith off, but still managed to keep on talking to Gwen, "As you can see I'm a bit busy to show you my ID, but I if you look in my jacket pocket here, you'll find a note from your sister. She thought you might need this."

Getting up and moving closer to Angel, Gwen was about to reach into his pocket when Faith yelled at her, "Don't trust him, he's a vampire."

"He looks kind of harmless now." Gwen said with a grin, "You've got a hold of him right? It won't hurt to check out his story."

"I guess, but be careful."

Gwen leaned in and searched his pocket and sure enough she pulled out a hand written letter from Lilah. After reading it, she smiled and put her hand on Faith's arm, "It's okay. He's one of us."

"How do you know?"

"I believe my sister." Gwen answered without hesitation, "She says his name is Angel and he's working with her now. He's a vampire with a soul, whatever that means. She just said I should trust her and let him help."

"Just great, now we have to deal with vampire's getting souls? Unbelievable. What's next? Vampire cops, vampire sports, vampire soaps? Whatever." Faith shrugged and then pushed Angel back down against the seat and slid back over to Gwen.

"Well, I guess that means we're going to be working together." Angel said as he looked over at Faith, "I can tell you're one of the slayers, so where's the other half of the chosen two?"

"None of your business." Faith snarled, "You're only alive because she's letting you live, but try anything stupid and that can change in a hurry."

Angel sat up and looked back at Faith, "Such tough talk from such a pretty young girl."

"If you're here to rescue Gwen, well you're a bit late wouldn't ya say? So, if that's all, I'll take things from here. You can go bite something or whatever, okay? We don't need ya."

"Faith, can I talk to you outside for a sec." Gwen said as she opened her door and stepped out of the limo.

"Sure." Faith replied bluntly, not taking her eyes off Angel as she slid out of the car.

"I know you don't like this guy, but maybe he can help. I mean, my sister isn't exactly the trusting type, so if she believes in him then I have to think she has good reason." Gwen said, but noticed Faith shaking her head, "Okay, I see you aren't ready to trust him and that's fine. What did you want to do then?"

"I just want to get you back to LA so you can see your sister. After that, I really don't know what to think." Faith added and then looked back at the limo, "I know one thing, I'm not trusting some vamp with your life. I don't care if he wants to come along for the ride, but I'm going to make sure you get there safe."

Gwen smiled at Faith's pledge to protect her, "Good, we'll take the limo and he can take what's left of his car and follow. How's that?"

"That's fine, it'll give us some time to talk and catch up on things."

Angel opened the door and looked up at the two brunette's, "Everything okay? We really should get going though."

"Well, since you can see I'm safe and all is well, why don't you get back in your car and we'll meet you at Lilah's place?" Gwen asked as she took Faith's hand and led her back inside the limo.

"That's fine by me, but you can follow me. Lilah's not at her apartment. She's at my place right now." Angel said as he got out of the limo and walked over to his car, "I'll lead the way."

Gwen didn't like the sound of that, "Your place? Why? Is she some kind of danger?"

"There's always danger when you work with Wolfram & Hart. Now that you have escaped their clutches, Lilah will be the first person they look to for answers. She's safe for now. I think she'll have some things to talk to you about when we get there. The reason Wolfram & Hart wanted you so bad is much bigger than anyone realized."

"What are you talking about? Bigger than what?"

"Bigger than your special talents." Angel said mimicking her magic fingers, "Lilah wasn't working at Wolfram & Hart by accident either, they recruited her specifically. I think the reason they did all this is starting to become clear. I left Lilah with some very interesting reading material and I'm guessing it will answer many of these questions."

"You make it sound so mysterious." Gwen said, her eyes growing wide at the intrigue.

"I don't know a lot about this, but I have heard things in my time with Wolfram & Hart and believe you are in for a big shock when all this comes out."

"I don't even know what you're talking about."

Angel got into his car and shook his head, "Never mind, just have a safe trip and I'm sure Lilah will be able to fill you in more, so let's get going."

Gwen shook her head, closed the limo door and turned to Faith, "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"I know a little I guess." Faith reluctantly nodded, "Mostly from some research we were doing on a friend of ours, "It's still in the early stages and I certainly have no proof of anything, but…"

"Then tell me what this is all about? Why does this company want us?"

"I can't answer that…" Faith paused, "I think it would be better if Lilah explained all this. If Angel is right, she has more information than I do, so why don't you let her tell you what you need to know. Why don't we talk about something else for now?"

"I guess, but now I'm so curious I'm not sure I can think about anything else."

"Sure you can." Faith smiled and then slid over beside Gwen, "Why don't we think back to those days on the beach. Tell me that doesn't make ya smile?"

Gwen couldn't hold back her smile, "Okay, you got me there. I'll never forget those days. They got me through some very tough times in that stupid psyche ward. Do ya think we'll ever get to go back there again?"

"I sure hope so. I've been doing this slayer thing for a while now and I could use a vacation." Faith said as she leaned her head against Gwen's shoulder, "I can't think anything better than lying on the beach next to you, sun beaming down us, not a care in the world. Those were the days."

"Yes they were." Gwen agreed, "But I remember doing more than just lying on the beach with you. Do you ever think of me like that anymore?"

Faith lifted her head and looked right into Gwen's dark eyes, "Of course I do. How can you ask that? You were my first love. You don't forget that. Ever."

"I know that, but I guess I meant is that all we are now? First love and that's it? Do we just move on from that?" Gwen said, not really asking but talking out loud, "I don't know about you, but I felt cheated the way we were split up. Like we never got a chance to see if it would be more than just some brief affair I guess. Maybe I'm being silly."

"It's not silly, it's just different now. But, I've always wondered how things would've turned out for us if he hadn't been split up. I know I still can't look at you without wanting to kiss you. Does that count?" Faith grinned as she playfully kissed Gwen on the cheek.

"Oh, it counts alright, it counts for a lot." Gwen said and then leaned in a kissed Faith softly on the lips.

Even though over a year had passed, there was still passion when the two girls began kissing again. The same intense, heart pounding, body warming passion as the first time they met.

Gwen was on top of Faith in a flash, kissing her harder and deeper. Her hands moving up Faith's familiar yet ever changing body. Faith wrapped her arms around Gwen, sliding them down her back and over her firm round ass.

With the kissing becoming more intense and their bodies heating up, Faith rolled Gwen over onto her back and straddled her stomach. Reaching down, she untied Gwen's white robe, pushing it to either side of her as she looked down at her with a look of wonder and excitement.

Gwen reached up and slid her hands over Faith's breasts, causing a moan of pleasure to escape her. Grabbing Gwen's hands, she pulled them tight over her breasts and closed her eyes as Gwen began caressing them.

First softly and slowly, but soon she slid her hands under Faith's top and over her bra, touching the soft flesh for the first time in so long.

Faith pulled off her top and reached back and unhooked her bra and tossed it to the side as she watched Gwen cup her full breasts and soon was rubbing her nipples aggressively as she pulled her body upward and leaned in with her mouth and began licking Faith's hard nipples as she held them so delicately in her hands.  
Moving from one nipple to the next, Gwen's heart was racing and her breathing was heavy as she licked and sucked Faith's nipple slowly, enjoying every moment like it was the last.

Running her hands through Gwen's long dark curly hair, Faith held her close to her chest and moaned as she looked down at her nipple buried in Gwen's warm mouth. It was a feeling she'd longed for, for so long and it was even better than she imagined it could be.

Gwen kissed her way down Faith's well-toned tummy, stopping at her tight leather pants. Looking up at Faith with passion in her eyes, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Oh yes." Faith moaned as she pulled Gwen close and kissed her hard on the lips.

** End of Chapter 36.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**. **  
**

**Buffy Summers' House. **

Willow arrived at Buffy's house just as Buffy and Dawn walked up the front steps, "Hi there. I wanted to see if I could help out again today if you needed it."

Buffy let out a slight laugh, "I think I'm gonna need lots of help with all that's going on around here. Things I have no idea what to do or think about."

Just then the front door opened and Joyce stepped out, "I'm glad you're home. I've been worried sick about you. Both of you."

"Sure mom, I bet you have." Buffy said a she turned away.

"Did you say mom? I thought, I mean, didn't your mom…am I at the right house?" Willow said as she looked at the number on the side of the house in a state of confusion.

"Yes, this is my dead mom. She looks pretty good for a corpse, don't ya think?" Buffy said, the sarcasm dripping from her tongue.

"Buffy, you will not speak to me like that. I know you're mad, but that's no excuse." Joyce said as she turned Buffy around, "Now, would you please introduce me to your friend."

"Fine. Mom, this is Willow. She's a friend from school. She's been helping with the research, among other things."

Joyce held out her hand, "I'm happy to meet you Willow. That's a very unique name. It's pretty, I like it."

Willow shook Joyce's hand and smiled, "It's nice to meet you to. I heard you might have been dead, I guess I heard wrong. Sorry."

"No, you didn't hear wrong." Joyce laughed, "It's a long story. As you can see, I'm alive and well and have been waiting for my daughter's to get back home so I could talk to them about so many things. But please, come in and make yourself at home."

"Thanks, but are you sure? I can come back." Willow said almost apologetically.

Buffy took Willow's hand and led her inside, "Nope, I think you need to come in. I could use some friends."

Dawn walked up to her mom and gave her a hug, "Well, I'm happy you're back."

"Thank you Dawn, but I do have so much to tell you. I just need to explain things better. To both of you."

"I know and I think I have even more questions now." Dawn

"Why's that?"

"Well, we just finished talking to Glory and she told us a story about you and her and I need to know if she was lying or not."

Joyce's face went white as a ghost at the mention of Glory's name, "Oh no, I was hoping to tell you all about her and Giles and so much more. I'm so sorry, I just never knew how to tell you some of these things. I wanted to wait until you were both much older, but I can see you are old enough to know the truth and now it's time to tell you."

"Is it true then? You and Glory were…" Dawn asked, not sure what to think of it all.

Buffy walked in just as Dawn asked the question, "Well don't let me stop ya, what's the answer mom?"

"Oh Buffy, could you please drop that attitude and let me explain before you condemn me? Thank you. Now, if you'd just have a seat I'll continue." Joyce said as she took a seat in her favorite recliner and waited for her two daughters to settle in.

It took close to 30 minutes for Joyce to explain how she met and fell in love with Glory and every single detail was the same as how Glory had told it, which surprised Buffy and Dawn.

When she was finished, Joyce looked over at her daughters, "Well that's everything. If you have any questions, now's the time to ask."

"I can't believe I'm going to do this, because it would be so much easier if I just left things the way they are, but I can't." Buffy said as she got up and walked over to the fireplace, "Well, I guess I have to ask about the tapes you saw of Glory doing all the things you mentioned. Are you sure they're real?"

Joyce was puzzled by the question, "Why would you ask that? Of course I'm sure. I saw them with my own two eyes."

Buffy tried to be nonchalant about the whole thing, "You know things can be manipulated these days, even on video, if it's done by a pro. You can edit most anything together and make it look real."

"Even if that's true, why would the Watchers Council or anyone else do that? They had no reason to." Joyce said, doing her best to believe what she was saying.

"This is so hard, because I like how things are now." Buffy said before quickly clarifying, "Well, I don't like that you lied to me about being dead or hurt, but I'm glad you're home and the last thing I want is for to go back with Glory again, but oh god, what if your watcher didn't like you being with Glory? What if he hated it so much he found a way to end it?"

"I don't know who you've been talking to Buffy, but Carlton may have been a hard man, but he wasn't evil." Joyce stated firmly, "He cared about me. He didn't like me seeing Glory, but he didn't order me to stop seeing her. I did that on my own. You heard the things she did, I can't believe you are defending her."

"I'm not." Buffy yelled a bit louder than she intended, "I don't even like her, but I think maybe you need to look into this a bit more."

"Where is all this coming from?" Joyce wondered as she moved over towards Buffy.

Dawn got up and stood beside Buffy and looked back at her mom, "Glory told us."

"What? You were talking to her here?" Joyce said, getting to here feet and looking around as if Glory were still in the room, "She's supposed to be banished. I can't believe she escaped. Where is she? She is not going to hurt you two, that I can promise."

"Mom, relax, she didn't do a thing." Buffy said as she put her arms on her mom's shoulders and turned her around, "She told us the same exact story you did. She didn't make anything up or even twist any of it, but she did tell us that the tapes of her doing those things weren't real. I don't know if that's true or not, but maybe you better find out. If they were fake, well, you might regret forever."

"They can't be fake. I didn't want to believe them. I fought it. I did. But, they were so real. I just can't believe anyone would do this. Especially when my parent's died, to think the Carlton or the council used that tragedy to make me even more miserable is incomprehensible." Joyce walked over to the front door, grabbed her coat and opened the front door, "You stay here, I have to talk to some people."

Buffy ran to the door, "Mom, let me come with you."

"Thanks, but they aren't going to do anything to me. If they did this they'll just admit it and rationalize why. I just need to know. I won't be long." Joyce said and ran out the door before Buffy could say a thing.,

Dawn walked over to Buffy, "What if you end up pushing mom back with Glory? Then what? Can you imagine having her as our, stepmom or stepgod or whatever she'd be."

"That's not gonna happen." Buffy adamantly declared, "They were together when mom was 20, Glory hasn't aged and mom has and besides, they have so many trust issues I can't see them ever getting past this. Let's not even think about that for now."

"If they do get together, I'm blaming you, so there." Dawn snipped and then walked into the kitchen.

Willow walked in as Dawn stormed off, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing more than usual around here." Buffy laughed, "I'm sorry I've been such a horrible host, I really am glad you stopped by. I've been wanting to ask you about how you were able to help us back in the crypt, but it's been so hectic around here I haven't had a chance."

"Oh that." Willow said as she remembered back to that night, "I don't know what to tell you really, nothing like that's ever happened to me before. But you know, when I'm around you I feel this connection, like we've known each other for years. I'm not crazy, I know we only just met, but I don't know how to explain why I sensed you needed help. Not to mention how I got there when I wasn't really there.

"Well, however you did it, I'm grateful, but we do need to find out why this happened to you and if it's gonna happen again. Why don't we go find Giles and see if he knows anything?"

Willow nodded her agreement and grabbed her purse, "Sure, I'll do anything to help."

Buffy hadn't moved a step when the front doorbell rang. Turning, she opened the door to see Fred and Marisella standing in front of her. She helped Fred bring Marisella into the house and sat her down.

Fred took Buffy by the hand and led her into the kitchen, "I'm glad you're here. I was hoping my mom could stay here for a little while. I know this is a big favor, but you're the only person I trust right now. I can't believe what the Watchers Council was doing to my mother."

"Of course she can stay." Buffy said and then took Fred and helped her to a chair, "You're so tense. What's going on? How did you get her out of that place?"

"I went to get my ring back from Riley and he agreed to help. I just didn't want to leave her with him either." Fred added and then got up, walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, "He's been nice, but I still think he's more interested in the information my mom has than he is in her health."

"Well, you and your mom can stay her as long as you like." Buffy smiled, "Listen, I was just going to find Giles, but are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, you go and I'll take care of my mom. It'll be nice to spend some time with her without anyone watching or listening to the whole thing." Fred sighed, looked at Buffy and with a mixture of a smile and frown gave her a big hug, "I just realized I was supposed to come here and make you feel better and now everything's completely reversed."

Buffy hugged Fred back and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face, "That's okay, you were great when I needed you and I won't forget it."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For making me feel better." Fred smiled, her eyes glued to Buffy's just a little longer than she realized. She was quick to turn away as soon as she felt Buffy staring back at her, "Anyway, I know you have to go so I hope Giles can you help you out."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about some things as well, so I hope we can get together late. It's about my friend Willow. I think she has some strange power and it seems to be connected to me and I want to know how and why."

Fred's eyes lit up at the prospect of a new scientific mystery to solve, "That sounds very intriguing. I'd be glad to look into this with you."

"Good, it's a date then." Buffy said as she walked back into the living room and stopped and turned to Fred, "Did I just say date?"

"Yep ya did, but I knew what you meant." Fred grinned and watched as Buffy smiled back at her and left the house with Willow by her side.

**Angel's Beachside Condo in Venice Beach.**

Lilah was sifting through the files when she came across a sheet entitled, **Lilah Morgan's history**, and began to read. After finishing the long document she sat back in her chair stunned at what she'd just read.

With no time to process anything, she began reading about Gwen's history and then it was Fred's she looked at. If she was stunned to find out she was adopted, she was even more stunned to find out Fred was actually her sister.

Picking up a picture of Fred from the folder, Lilah looked it over, held it up to her face and looked in the mirror, 'I can't believe this. Aside from the dark hair we look nothing alike. Do we?' she said to herself as she noticed a lump in the folder and reached in and pulled out a ring.  
It was an exact copy of Fred's ring, with one exception, there was a small message engraved on the back of the ring that read, "Love always, Millicent."

Lilah took the ring and held it up to her finger and after taking a deep breath she put it on. Within seconds she could feel some type of energy flowing through her body.

She rushed over to the mirror to see a faint glow covering every inch of her. Moving her hands up and down her body, Lilah soon felt invigorated, her mind felt clear, her focus was perfect, she know what to do next.

Before she could do a thing, the front door opened and Gwen and Faith came rushing into the room. Lilah rushed to Gwen and they embraced for a long time as Faith looked on.

Angel walked into the room and could sense a difference in Lilah just by looking at her."What's up with you?"

Lilah let go of Gwen and looked over at Angel, "Nothing, I feel like I finally have a purpose."

"What's he talking about?" Gwen asked, looking right at Lilah.

"This." Lilah smiled and held out the ring, "It's mine, well, it was given to me. I need to talk to you about so many things." Lilah turned to Angel and Faith, "Can you leave us alone. I have a lot to tell Gwen."

Faith looked at Angel and then gave Gwen a smile and she led Angel out the door, "Well, do you know what that ring is all about or why Lilah needs to talk to Gwen so bad?"

"Beats me." Angel said as he soaked in the sun.

"Why aren't you on fire? What, are you some kind of vampire reject?" Faith asked, not sure what to make of a vampire who can stand in the sun.

Angel couldn't help but smile at the obvious question, "It's a long story, which also includes a ring. Gotta love those rings."

"Since I have no idea how long those two are gonna be, why not get talking." Faith ordered as she lay down on a lawn chair and stretched out.

Leaning up against the railing, Angel proceeded to tell Faith the story of the Ring of Amarra..

**End of Chapter 37.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

**Buffy Summers' House.  
**

Fred sat beside her mother; sipping water and listening to her explain the powers of her ring."I've waited all my life to be able to tell you and your sister about our people." Marisella said with a proud smile, taking Fred's hand and putting the ring on her finger, "Oh and this ring is part of your history. It's got special powers that I need to tell you about before it's too late."

"Mom, don't talk like that." Fred pleaded, not wanting to think about her mother's fragile health, "You're safe now and we're going to be together for a very long time."

Marisella held Fred's hand, "You are such a breath of fresh air. I love hearing the passion in your voice. You make me remember what life is all about."

"Good, then let's not have anymore talk about it being too late, I just found you, I'm not gonna lose you now. I won't let that happen." Fred said as she hugged her mother.

"I feel better already." Marisella smiled, "This ring possesses power you can't begin to imagine. We designed it for multi purposes. Aside from the beautiful outward appearance, it can act as a homing beacon, a teleportation device, a radio and most importantly it can also be used as a shield if needed."

Fred looked the ring over, but came to the conclusion that something wasn't right, "Are you sure this is the right ring? It doesn't look all that special. No offense, it is beautiful, but where does all the power come from? Shouldn't there be buttons or some gadget to activate them?"

"That is another thing I need to teach you. How to focus your mind on what you want." Marisella added, holding the ring as she looked into Fred's eyes, "This ring is connected to your biology, it can sense what you're thinking, feeling and when combined with your willpower, which you seem to have plenty of, it can allow you to move about in your world with ease. You can connect with your sister in the blink of an eye and it will protect you from most dangers you will face here on your earth."

"Should I try it out? What if my sister has her ring, how could I teleport to it? Or can I? Or should I wait until we meet? I don't know what to do." Fred asked, excited and confused at the same time.

"I think it's imperative that you find your sister as soon as possible, so why don't you try it out." Marisella said as she got to her feet and motioned for Fred to join her.

Fred got up and stood beside her mother, "Okay, I'm ready."

"Good." Marisella said with a warm smile, "Now there is one thing you need to remember when you attempt to teleport. Anyone touching you will go along for the ride. In most cases you willingly bring people along, but you live in a dangerous world and you must beware of the wrong person teleporting with you. You need to focus your mind on one thing only, your sister's energy force."

"But, I've never met her.

"That's okay, you'll know when you find it." Marisella said, smiling as she explained things to her anxious daughter, "It's unmistakable. It will send a chill down your spine when you connect with her. If she's on this planet and has the ring, it won't be hard to track her energy force. Focus your mind on finding your sister and relax, but be ready, once you make the connection, you will go through a very strange and yet exciting portal stream and end up in front of your sister in a matter of seconds."

"Hold my hand because you have to come with me. I know she will be as thrilled to meet you as I was." Fred took her mother's hand, closed her eyes and focused her mind on her sister.

**Angel's Beachside Condo in Venice Beach.**

Lilah stood looking at Gwen as she tried to digest everything she'd just been told, "Are you okay? I know some of this, oh hell, all of it is a big shock, but nothing has changed. Not really."

"Are you crazy? Everything's changed." Gwen shouted, "We aren't even sisters. I can't believe this. The one thing that I thought I could count on is a lie. You are like some super alien hybrid woman and I'm just a kid nobody wanted."

"That's not true. I know this is hard to take in all at once, but I'm telling you, we are still sisters and nothing is going go change that." Lilah stated passionately as she tried to give Gwen a hug.

"No, you don't." Gwen said, sliding out of the way of Lilah's reach, "I just need some time alone. I don't know what to think."

As Lilah tried to move closer to Gwen, she felt her ring begin to vibrate and glow a strange color and before she could even touch it, Fred and Marisella appeared.

Lilah stood in front of Gwen, reached for her purse, but stopped and turned and looked directly into Fred's eyes, "OMG! You're my sister."

Fred smiled and rushed over and hugged Lilah as Marisella and Gwen looked on with completely different expressions on their faces.

While joy and pride brimming from Marisella's face, Gwen couldn't shake the disappointment and sadness she was feeling.

Gwen couldn't watch the celebration any longer and slowly made her way to the door and quietly walked outside.

Faith saw her leave and instantly got up and walked over to her, "Hey, so what was the big news Lilah had to tell ya?"

"Nothing important." Gwen said with a smile, "Did you want to go get something to eat? I'm starving and need to get away from here for awhile."

"Sure, but you just got here, don't ya want to spend some time with your sister?" Faith asked.

"Look, I just want to eat, do you want to come or not?" Gwen snapped and then tried to cover it with a smile, "I'm sorry, I'm just tired I guess, we can talk there, okay?"

"Okay, let's go." Faith agreed and hopped into the limo with Gwen.

Angel walked up to the limo as it was pulling away, "I could eat, but does anyone ask the vampire? Nope. Humans."

Inside, Lilah and Fred were spending time catching up with their mother when Angel walked in the room.

Marisella sensed something wasn't right with Angel and stood in front of her daughters and walked slowly towards Angel.

Lilah could tell what was going on and quickly got up and ran towards Angel and stepped in front of him, "Mom, this is Angel. Yes he's a vampire, but he's one of the good guys now."

"Mom?" Angel said as he looked at Lilah.

"Yep, this is Marisella, my mom." Lilah said proudly.

"Hello Angel." Marisella said with a smile as she held out her hand, "Well, I guess my instincts need a bit work, I sensed power from you and an aura of evil from inside."

Angel shook it gently, "Hi Marisella. I sense the demon in you is well hidden by your human form. I don't sense this from Lilah, why is that?"

"It's how I wanted it to be." Marisella said as she found her way back to the sofa with the help of Fred, "I knew in this world they would have a much better chance at surviving and leading a good life if they were human, but I couldn't hide their history either, so I had to find a way to mix the two and well, it worked."

"That's quite an undertaking. It looks like you did a good job." Angel said as he tried to get a read on Marisella. Finally, he drew his attention to Fred, "And who might this beautiful young woman be?"

Lilah was quick to rush over and put her arm around Fred's shoulder, "This is Fred, she's my sister."

Fred walked up and held out her hand for Angel, "Hello Angel, I've heard a lot about you. Mostly bad though, but it's good you are on our side now."

"Our side? Just who are you?"

"I work with the Watchers Council. I know all about your life as Angelus." Fred said with a cute smile.

"Why is it everyone knows about me before I know about them? I need to find a new source of intelligence." Angel said shaking his head and then moving it back and forth from Lilah to Fred and back, "So I'm guessing you two haven't talked much?"

"No, not really, but we will, why?" Lilah asked, knowing Angel had a reason for the question.

"No reason really, just wondering how two people working on opposite sides are going to get along."

"Oh Angel, are you trying to stir up trouble?" Lilah laughed, "If Fred doesn't know already, she will now, I quit Wolfram & Hart. What they did to Gwen was just too much. I don't know that I want to work with this watchers council either, but I'm sure I'll find something to do."

Fred turned and stared at Lilah, "You worked for Wolfram & Hart? Knowing what they did?"

"Don't go judging me without knowing all the facts." Lilah shot back quickly, "I'm not gonna lie to you, because I was a very ambitious woman and I still am. I just want to put that ambition to work at a different law firm now."

Fred paused, not wanting to get into a fight, "Well, I don't know the whole story, so I'm not going to judge you. It was just a bit of a shock to hear that's all."

"What's this Wolfram & Hart you are talking about?" Marisella asked, curious about the emotions the mere mention of the name seemed to invoke from everyone.

Moving over beside her Mother, Fred gave her version of the law firm, "They are an evil law firm that excels at using evil means to make money and increase their power at the expense of everything that's good in the world."

"Let's hope you aren't always this self righteous, not sure I could handle that." Lilah groaned.

"Very funny." Fred said, "And I'm not self righteous, I'm just right about your former employer."

"Maybe, but they did pay well and had great benefits." Lilah pointed out with a smile, "Besides, it's not like the watchers council is a bunch of saints you know. As a matter of fact, I know a number of high profile watcher's who were once employed by my evil company. So what does that tell ya?"

"Not that I want to break up a good catfight, but have you told Fred about Gwen yet?" Angel said as he enjoyed the reactions of all three women in the room.

**LAX-Private Hangar.**

Kate got off the plane and the first thing she did was take out her cell and call Lilah.  
Lilah pulled out her cell phone, "Lilah here."

"Lilah, it's Kate. I'm back from Texas. I've ound out some interesting information about Wolfram & Hart. I also brought back a woman who has some things you might be interested in hearing."

"Okay, I'm right in the middle of something right now, " Lilah said, smiling as Angel looked on, "You might as well come on down. I have some news I want to share with you, but not over the phone. I'm at Angel's beach house. If you have your laptop handy, I'll e-mail you the address, just to be on the safe side."

"Great, I'll see ya soon." Kate said as she put her cell phone away.

**End of Chapter 38.**

**Feedback is welcome and appreciated. **


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

**Sunnydale, near the Mayor's office.**

Buffy and Willow walked up the steps to the Mayor's office, talking and laughing as if they'd known each other for years.

"So you never got to stay up after 9 on school nights? That's pretty strict isn't it? I mean, you're 17 now right?"

"Yep, but it's not like I always went right to sleep at 9. Usually I'd read a little and sometimes I'd even turn my radio on real low and listen to music." Willow said boldly as she held the door open for Buffy.

Buffy smiled and brushed past Willow and through the door, "I can see you're a real bad girl in the making."

"You're just teasing me, but that's because you've never seen bad girl Willow yet, but she's here inside me, I can feel it." Willow laughed and followed Buffy through the large building until they came to the mayor's office.

Opening the door, Buffy was surprised to find Joyce talking with Giles, but soon remembered that's why her mom left earlier.

"Hi." Buffy said softly, causing Giles and Joyce to turn around and quickly stop talking, "Oh don't stop on my account."

"No, it was nothing important. I'm glad you're here." Joyce said as she moved towards Buffy.

Buffy slid out of the way and walked over towards Giles, "I'm here to see Giles, so I'll see you at home."

Joyce couldn't hide her disappointment or the hurt she felt as Buffy dismissed her again, but she put on a smile, picked up her coat and purse and walked towards the door, "Okay then, I hope everything is okay. I do expect you to be home for dinner tonight Buffy."

"I don't know. The life of a slayer isn't really a 9-5 job, oh but I guess you'd know all about that wouldn't you?" Buffy said, the resentment in her voice unmistakable.

Giles stepped in front of Buffy, "Listen, you can be angry, mad or anything else for that matter, but you will not talk to your mother that way. One day you'll see that this life is anything but simple and clear cut, and sometimes you have to make decisions that you don't like, but she loved you and gave you a good life so you will treat her with respect."

Willow was in the corner trying not to listen to Buffy get yelled at, but couldn't really avoid it.

Buffy wasn't thrilled about being embarrassed in front of Willow either, but she knew she was out of line so she turned to her mother, "I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean to sound so sarcastic. Well, I did but, I shouldn't have. I'll try and be home for dinner, okay?"

"Yes, that's okay." Joyce said with a slight smile and then waved to Willow and Giles and exited the room.

"Thanks Giles." Buffy growled and then sat down on a chair and sulked.

"Oh, for not letting you talk to your mother like that? Well, you're welcome." Giles said with a sharp grin, "Now that we have today's lesson in manners out of the way, what can I do for you two. Oh and don't be rude Buffy, introduce me to your friend."

Buffy shook her head at Giles, got up, walked over and pulled Willow back towards the desk, "Okay, this is Willow and she's a friend of mine. She seems to have some kind of connection to me and maybe Faith to. When we were in Spike's crypt, we got stuck and well, Willow appeared out of nowhere and helped us find our way out. It was pretty weird, but we want to know if there is anything that might connect us."

"Hello Willow, it's nice to meet you." Giles said politely as he pulled out a chair for Willow, "Please, sit down and tell me all about this power of yours. When did you discover it and what activated it as far as you know."

Willow took a seat and began thinking back to the night she had her first and only experience. It wasn't surprising that her face lit up as she remembered what she was doing when she felt her head about to explode, "Um, well, I was in bed and I was very relaxed and just about to fall asleep when I felt this pain, well maybe pain isn't the right word, but I felt this strange feeling in my head. Anyway, I sat up and the next thing I know I'm in some cave. I took a couple steps and saw a lever and I had the strongest feeling I was meant to pull it, but I couldn't. I wasn't whole. I was like a ghost I guess, so I began to feel a presence on the other side of the wall and something happened and that's when Buffy walked through the wall and we met."

"Well Giles, what is it?" Buffy said impatiently.

"Slow down Buffy, let me hear more from your friend." Giles walked over to the mayor's large bookshelf in the back, pulled out an old book and returned, "Please continue Willow. Do you remember if you could see Buffy or Faith? Or if you knew who you were supposed to help? I'm trying to figure out if the connection is with the slayers, or if you have another purpose altogether, which might be to help people in general with this gift."

"I do feel a strong connection to Buffy and even to Faith, so I think it's more about them than anything else. Even now I feel this energy coming from Buffy." Willow said as she reached over and touched Buffy's arm and smiled, "When I touch her it's like I feel power coming from her and I feel energized. I feel like I know her."

Just then Willow felt another surge of energy go through her body and instantly teleported back in time.

** July 8****th****, 1995**.

Buffy Summers sat at the edge of the swimming pool, her feet dangling in the water as she watched the other kids swimming around, After another long day trying to keep Dawn out of trouble, she was just too tired to swim.

Dawn on the other hand had energy to spare and was flying around the pool like she was a fish.

It was almost closing time and most everyone else had left and Buffy kept asking Dawn to get out of the pool, but she had no luck. After 15 more minutes of waiting, she began to get a bit more irritated at Dawn for not listening to her, so she hopped into the pool and swam out to her little sister and tried to drag her out of the pool.

With one quick pull of her arm, Dawn squirmed free and started racing around the pool as fast as she could. Buffy chased and chased but could not keep up with her.

As she was giving chase one last time, Buffy felt her right leg tighten up and then her left and soon panic struck as she was in the middle of the large pool and was unable to move.

Dawn didn't realize what was going on, so she just climbed out of the pool and laughed at Buffy as she ran into the change rooms.

Time stood still as Buffy called out for Dawn, but the music on the loudspeakers was loud as were the countless showers going on while she was changing, so she didn't hear a thing. Looking over at the edge of the pool, it seemed like a million miles away. Buffy tried to push her legs, but they were locked up and she had no energy left to keep herself afloat. So many things went through her mind as she thought the end was near and as she started sinking into the middle of the pool, she closed her eyes and remembered a time when her family was together and life was so perfect.

Once her head was under water, Buffy held her breath for as long as she could and when she couldn't do it any longer, she began taking in water and it was then that she saw someone in front of her.

It was a cute red haired girl who stood in front of her, "Hi, I'm Willow, I'm supposed to save you. Don't give up yet. You're not meant to die now. You have to fight. You're destiny needs you."

Buffy felt a burst of energy flow through her body and with Willow pushing her to keep trying, Buffy found her way to the edge of the pool and grabbed the railing and crawled up to the comfort of the solid concrete floor.

Looking back into the pool for the girl who helped her, she saw nothing but water and wondered if she'd imagined the whole thing.

Willow Rosenberg sat up in her bed, put her book down and felt her heart pounding and hands sweaty and at first she thought it was just a very real dream, but something inside her told her it was real and she'd just helped save someone's life.

As the memory ended, Willow's eyes grew wide with excitement and she turned to Buffy, "Do you remember a swimming pool in Los Angeles a couple years ago when you were drowning?"

Buffy didn't need to think for long, as she to remembered that moment clear as day, "OMG, that was you. I can't believe I didn't remember this when we first met. You're my angel."

"Well, I don't know about that, but I do know I have always wanted to meet you since that day and now I know why. We are connected. This is way more than a coincidence. It's fate or destiny or both." Willow said, hugging Buffy tightly as they shared another life altering moment.

"This is truly a fascinating turn of events." Giles said while flipping open his book and turning it for the two girls to read, "As you can see, some prophecies do come true."

Buffy and Willow began reading where Giles had indicated, "The Chosen Two will not act alone, but will be part of a group that fights as a team. That team will be created with no input from the slayers, but by fate, as those with a personal, spiritual or metaphysical connection to the Chosen Two will show themselves when the time is right. The bond this group creates will be the key to the success of the slayers and to the human race in its attempt to stop the biggest threat of all, The Paradox Conundrum."

"Okay, what's this Paradox Conundrum?" Buffy asked as she continued to read.

Giles scratched his head and shrugged, "Well, nobody seems to know what that statement is referring to. We've been studying it for years, but have found nothing whatsoever about it in any of the historical, magical or Demonic books we've looked at. It's possible that it hasn't been formed yet and if this is the case, stopping this threat will be all the more difficult."

"I still don't understand what it means. Isn't it just double talk for something that can't be explained?"

"Not necessarily." Giles said with a nod as he again went into the back room and returned with yet another large book covered in dust. Flipping through the pages until he came to a page with a drawing of a gigantic demon, "Ever since I joined the Watchers Council, we were told about this demon. Warned about its powers and yet there was no name given to it. The reason I want you to be aware of this demon is that things we know little about are usually the things that can cause the destruction."

Willow sat quietly by as she listened to the Buffy and Giles discuss slayer problems, but as she leaned over and took a look at the picture of the demon, she had another flashback.

** May 31****st****, 1996**.

Sitting in her hotel room reading a book had become habit for Willow since her dad came to Boston for a potential new job. He was always out at meetings and her mom was right by his side the whole time.

It was near the end of the first week and Willow had gone through about 20 books and had watched more TV than she had in the previous 6 months. As she sat back and opened up her latest book, she felt this sensation in her head and without thinking she picked up her purse and walked out the door. Even though she'd never been to Boston before, she knew where she was going. She crossed the Old Wharf and turned into a dingy back alley where she came across a group of teenagers arguing.

All but one had the same jacket on. The oldest or tallest boy in the group had a pretty brunette up against the wall, "Don't make this so hard. You're a perfect fit for our gang. Why don't you just join and see how it goes. It's not as bad as you seem to think"

"I told you before, I don't play well in groups. I don't take orders from anyone and I'm not gonna start now. So, get out of my way." The feisty brunette said as she pushed the much bigger kid to the side and started walking away.

One of the girls in the group ran after her and stopped in front of her, "Come on Faith, don't do this. You know what'll happen if you say no. I don't want you getting hurt. Damon is not going to accept this. Please, just join. You don't even have to do anything with us, but as long as you are wearing our colors you are safe."

"I can't okay. It's not me and I'm not changing for anyone or for anything. Damon can shove it for all I care." Faith said as she stared back at the tall gangly kid she once called a friend and then looked back at her friend Macy, "I'm sorry you are caught in the middle, but I'll be fine. I promise. Go back and be a good girl and one day I'll find a way to get you out of there to. Now yell at me and then walk away."

"But…"

"Just do it." Faith ordered as she looked at the ground.

"Fine." Macy said softly and then raised her voice and began yelling at Faith and then turned and walked off in a huff.

Faith smiled and then turned and gave everyone the finger and took off down the street.

Damon huddled with the group and then began chasing after Faith. Macy was yelling for them to stop but she couldn't keep up and was left behind.

Down the street they caught up with Faith and with two boys holding Faith's arms, Damon walked up to her, "I told you to join and everything would be fine, but not you, you just can't help but be a trouble maker. Well, that was fine when we were kids, but now I can't allow it. You make me look bad in front of my crew. That has to stop. This isn't personal Faith, but you need to be taught a lesson. Or maybe it's just too late for you to learn. Doesn't matter, you aren't going to be a problem much longer. So, you have one last chance to join and all this is forgotten. Nobody has to get hurt. What's it gonna be?"

"It's gonna be the same answer as always, no. Now you do your worst and it still won't stop me or make me join." Faith shot back as she struggled to break free, "It's good you have some people to help ya, cause you never could take me on your own could ya Damon? Some leader you are."

Damon's face turned red with embarrassment and then anger and he hauled off and punched Faith in the stomach, "You always did have a big mouth. I see there's no hope for you. I wash my hands of you. Just remember, you brought this on yourself. I will feel no guilt for what happens next. You know as well as I do, it's the way it has to be around here. It was nice knowing you Faith."

With a nod of his head, Damon gave the order to get rid of Faith permanently and the two boys dragged Faith down the street, stopping behind a large garbage bin.

"This is the last thing you're ever gonna see Faith, garbage." Damon said as he lifted Faith up and held her head down towards the garbage in the bin, "Cause that's what you are. Amazing a girl with your background can turn their nose up at anyone. It's obvious your dad didn't want ya and your mom would rather drink herself senseless than spend any time with ya and now I see why, you just aren't worth it." He then turned to his two buddies, "Okay, make her feel some pain before she dies or it'll be too easy. I don't want her to be able to get up. Do it."

Reluctantly the two boys began punching and kicking Faith until she stopped fighting back and fell to the ground.

Willow was in shock and wanted to rush over and help, but knew she had to wait until the time was right.  
Damon noticed a large moving van coming down the alley and motioned for them to push Faith out in front of it.

There was no time to think as Willow rushed down the other side of the alley and as she saw the two boys push Faith out into the middle of the alley, she saw the van speeding towards her, apparently oblivious to the fact a young girl was lying on the ground in front of them.

Fear wasn't present as Willow ran towards Faith, grabbed her arms and pulled her to back to the other side. The van sped by seconds later, not stopping or slowing down one little bit.

Fuming at Willow's interference, Damon ran up to confront her, "Who the hell are you?"

Willow hopped to her feet and got up in Damon's face with a serious scowl on her face, channeling an attitude she never knew she had, "I'm your worst nightmare. You've just committed a felony. Attempted murder. I'd suggest you get your skinny little punk self out of here before the cops show up. You should do well in prison. So young and ripe. Enjoy."

Before Damon could even blink, the sirens were blaring and that was enough to send him and his cohorts running. They didn't get far though. As luck or fate would have it, they ran right into the police car as it came around the corner.

A young man on the 3rd floor had heard the commotion and had filmed the whole thing and handed the tape over to the police. The three young men would end up in jail for a good long time.

Willow went with Faith to the hospital and spend the next 8 hours waiting for her to come out of surgery. Finally, she got the news that Faith would make a full recovery and she could visit in the morning.

When Willow got back to her hotel she slowly began to relax and in time the adrenaline disappeared and she was able to get back to her reading. In the morning when she got up, she had no memory of the events of the previous day, nor did Faith, but their lives were forever connected none the less.

"OMG, I know Faith to." Willow spouted as she got to her feet.

"What? How?" Buffy asked excitedly.

Willow then relayed the story she'd just remembered and both Buffy and Giles were stunned and surprised by her revelation.  
"You say this happened just last year but you didn't remember it until now?" Giles asked, not quite sure how that was possible.

"Yes, it's the same with the story about Buffy in the swimming pool." Willow added as she smiled at Buffy, "It was all a big blank until just now. It's like my memories have been set free now, but it shows I know Buffy and Faith and how else would I be able to help them both if I wasn't connected to them? I must be, but I don't know how or why."

"This is what we need to find out." Giles said as he continued to flip through his books, pausing for a moment to look at Willow, "But, I do agree that your connection to the slayers is undeniable.

"I agree to and I'm so glad that you're part of this now. I can remember that day in the pool so clearly now and I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life. Thank you." Buffy said sincerely as she put her hand over Willow's.

Willow blushed at the attention, "Oh, I was just glad I could help. Now I know why, you were meant to do something so much bigger. Now you get to and I'm just happy I can help you in some way."

"Without you, I might not be here, so you've more than done your part." Buffy said softly, "I wish Faith was here. I bet she remembers that day to and I need to talk to her about it. Sounds like she had a really bad childhood."

Nodding her head, Willow turned serious for a moment, "Yes, it was really bad what that guy said about her family. I hope it wasn't as bad as they made it sound, but she sure was a fighter. She wouldn't give in or back down and she stood her ground to the end. She sure had a lot of heart and courage."

"She still does and I know she will want to thank you when she gets back."

Giles waited for a moment of silence before he jumped in, "I may have found something that foreshadows Willow's presence your life. This is an old prophecy about the Chosen Two, as you know there are numerous variations on this prophecy and it's hard to pinpoint which one is the most accurate, but having said that, this particular statement seems highly prophetic now that we know what we know."

Looking at the passage Giles was pointing to, the two girls began to read, "In the coming years when the Chosen Two become as one, their lives will be changed and enriched by a young woman who's powers will greatly enhance the slayers chances of succeeding in their fight."

Buffy looked up from the book, "Wow, that does sound like Willow. I mean, it's a bit vague, but I think it's dead on accurate."

"Yes, it is amazing how something written thousands of years ago could foresee such an event, but we will continue to learn more about which of these prophecies seem to be coming true and eliminate the ones that lack merit." Giles added matter of factly as he sat back down and quickly scooped up the book.

"Hey, I was still reading." Buffy shouted, "There was something about the Chosen Two and the word forbidden was in big bold writing. What is that about?"

"You have all the information you need for now." Giles said abruptly and then turned around, walked into the back room and stood at the door, "If you don't mind, I have work to do. I'll see you at home."

"Don't shut me out Giles. If it's about me I have a right to know about this. Giles." Buffy yelled, but could do nothing else as she watched him close and lock the door behind him..

"Oh, he makes me so mad." Buffy said through her teeth, "I'm going to find out what he's hiding from me. Mark my words, this is not over."

Willow followed Buffy and stood beside her at the locked door, "I believe you. If I can help you in any way, just let me know. I might be more useful than just popping up when you're in danger."

"I know you will and I might just have to use you if Giles keeps being stubborn about this." Buffy said with a frustrated laugh and then looked at her watch, "Anyway, I should get back home. Where do you live? I can walk you home if you want."

"Sure, it's just a couple blocks from here." Willow said with a nod and then led the way as the two girls left the mayor's office.

**End of Chapter 39**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

**Ethan Rayne's Hideout**

Gunn led the way into the room, with Anya and Drusilla following closely behind, hand in hand as they stared at Spike and smiled.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Spike asked as he marched towards the two women, only to be stopped by Gunn's long arms.

"Not so fast." Gunn said calmly.

Drusilla slinked her way up to Spike, put her hands through his hair and then put her finger on his nose, "Spikey dear, you really need to listen to what Anya has to say. It could be the difference between life and death, yours."

"Only thing I'm gonna do with that bitch is have a nice bite out of her skinny little neck and suck the life out of her and then I'll start on you two. Now get out." Spike screamed and walked back over and stood beside, Lindsey, Gretchen and Ethan.

"My, what big words for such a little man." Anya said as she moved closer to the four people standing in a row, "I think you know why I'm here. Wolfram & Hart would like you to join them in their fight against the slayers."

Lindsey stepped forward a little confused, "Um, I already work for them, so should I be standing on your side?"

"Oh Lindsey, so ambitious and yet so foolish." Anya said as she pushed him out of the way, "Now, as for you three, you still have a chance to be part of something much bigger. You'd have access to most anything you could ever need or want. We don't want even much in return, just the peace of mind knowing you're working with us and not against us. So, what's it gonna be?"

Gretchen looked at Ethan and Spike and then took a couple steps towards Anya, "I can't speak for the others, but I'm interested in joining your firm. I'm sure I could learn so much from someone as powerful as you."

"Oh stop sucking up Gretchen, it's embarrassing to watch." Ethan said shaking his head, "I don't think I'm quite as anxious to join another firm. Most of the trouble in my life began when I tried to make the cut for the Watchers Council and I don't see how it will be any different for a huge conglomerate like Wolfram & Hart. I've grown to appreciate my freedom a bit too much to start answering to people about my every thought."

"As much as I can't stand this pompous ass, I have to agree with him on this." Spike said, glaring back at Anya, "I see no reason to join forces with the likes of you. So if that's all, get out and take your two flunkies with you."

Drusilla sighed at Spike's reference to her, "Awe Spikey, I'm not a flunky, I'm an associate of Anya's. I have my own office now and it's so pretty. I decorated it myself. Pretty, pretty white flowers on the wall and so many sparkles on the floor and ceiling. It's like an amusement park. Oh you just have to see it."

"I can't believe you sold out Dru, it's not like you. What happened to you? You used to be so much fun." Spike said as he put his feet up on the beautiful oak dining table, "Do they let you torture your kills? I bet they don't. Do they even let you feed? No bother, I was stupid to trust you again. I don't make the same mistake twice. As of now, you are officially an enemy. Better sleep with your eyes open from now on."

"I wouldn't make any threats if I were you Spike and certainly not to anyone I call a friend." Anya said as she tossed a fireball towards Spike, making him duck for cover. As he lay on the ground Anya walked over and stood in front of him and looked down at him, "Did you like being a woman? Cause I make it permanent or better yet, how do you feel about dust? That's also an option."

"Big scary witch. Kill me if you want." Spike said, defiant as always, "Sure beats listening you to yammer on. Either way, I will never join your stupid law firm.

"Suit yourself." Anya said and then turned her attention to Ethan, "Well, are you still against joining forces with us?"

"I haven't heard anything that has made me want to change my mind." Ethan said as he pondered changing into his demon form.

Anya read his mind and quickly made him see it, "Ethan, do you really think I'd let you turn into Arcystic? Don't be naïve. Make no mistake, I would stop you, I'd kill you before you had a chance to utter one word. But, on the plus side, if you work with us, we'll help put your demon form to good use. With support from our legion of demons, vamps and even human resources. You'd still call the shots for your department, we'd just like to keep apprised on what you plan on doing, so we can assure it works. How's that grab ya?"

Ethan paces back and forth in front of Spike, knowing how much he hated it, "You are very persuasive Anya. It does seem to have a fairly large upside and I think it might work. I will say this, if you or your bosses ever try and stifle my creativity you will have to kill me, because I can't work that way."

"Great, well then, Gretchen and Ethan could you follow Gunn back to our head office and I'll take care of Lindsey and Spike."

Gunn led the two new recruits out of the hideout, but as they got to the door Gunn stopped, "Oh, just for the record which one of you were calling yourself The Horde? We just want to get this cleared up for our records.

All four shook their heads no as did Drusilla and that puzzled and frustrated Gunn even more, "That's just great. So have any of you heard of this Horde?"

"I've heard of the name, but I have no idea who's behind it." Spike said, chugging down the rest of the wine from Ethan's fancy meal.

The other three said about the same thing, so Gunn led Gretchen out of the hideout.

Anya walked over to Lindsey, "In case you didn't figure this out before, you're fired. If you want to talk to Holland or Glory about it, be my guest, but Holland is the one who ordered it, so you'll need to some fancy talking to get back in his good graces. Now, be gone, I have to talk to Spike."

"This is unfair." Lindsey whined, " I was working for the company trying to recruit all three of these people. I was this close to succeeding when you barged in. I'm not going down quietly, that's for sure. And who the hell are you to give me orders, you don't work for us."

"That shows you how behind the times you are Lindsey. Since Angelus left, I was given his position. So in effect, I'm your boss if you happen to get reinstated, isn't that great?" Anya said with a big smile.

"This is unbelievable. We'll see about this." Lindsey fumed and then tore off out the door.

"Well, it's just us now Spike. No need to put on a big show of how stubborn you are. You can still join us and become even more powerful. Work alone and you're certain to be dust soon. You're no match for the slayers. Not these two. They are the reason we are trying to consolidate all the forces of evil." Anya said, making one last pitch to Spike, "You'd have your own office. Your own staff and it would be the same as if you worked alone, but with unlimited resources. Tell me where the downside is?"

"For starters, I don't like you. I don't trust Drusilla, Lindsey, Gretchen, Ethan or Glory. I see nothing but headaches working with the likes of you people. I'm well aware of the Chosen Two. I do my research. I also know how to get the job done. I didn't kill two slayers by accident." Spike said, repeating his most famous line for the past century, yet again, "Besides, I believe it will be harder for the slayers to deal with many threats at once as opposed to only having to deal with one, your idiot law firm. The more threats they have to stop, the more we can spread them thin and that's when they will be weak."

Anya raised her eyebrow at Spike's comment, "That's an interesting theory and I do see your point, but all that can take place under our roof so to speak. We can let all of you plan your moves and we could even time them to cause the most chaos for the slayers."

"If I were to join you, I'd need a lot of things in writing. I know how you lawyers are. I'd want assurances in triplicate and a guarantee I will lead the first assault on the slayers, among other things."

"Aren't you the businessman now. You can work all this out with Holland or Glory. So do we have a deal?"

"Fine, but this better work out or you'll have a lot of dead lawyers on your hand if it doesn't.

"Oh enough with the threats Spike. You'd be dead before you got your sharp little teeth into anyone's neck anyway, so shut up. Now, this deal is dependant on you coming into Wolfram & Hart with me. So, let's go."

Spike wanted to jump up and plant his teeth in Anya's neck, but the thought of being in a dress again got the better of him and he decided to wait for a better opportunity to exact his revenge.

**Burt's Diner, down the street from Angel's apartment.**

Gwen sat quietly on one side of the booth, sipping at her coffee as she watched Faith eat a very tasty looking cheeseburger, "That does look good."

"I said you should eat something, I can order you one if you want." Faith said as she looked around for the owner.

Reaching over the table, Gwen pulled Faith's hand down, "No, I can't eat right now anyway."

"Okay, did you want to tell me what's got you so upset?"

"I don't even know really." Gwen sighed and then fell back against the seat, "I was so happy to see Lilah and again I thought we might have a chance to be a real family, but she already has one. That girl that showed up, Fred or whatever her name is, that's Lilah's real sister and that woman is their mother."

"I'm a bit confused here. Doesn't this mean you have another sister and mother?" Faith asked, clearly puzzled, "What am I missing?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and shook her head at having to explain her convoluted family history, "Lilah was adopted by my family, the same people who sold me to Wolfram & Hart and then bailed on us. Fred was also adopted and now she is reunited with her real sister Lilah. I don't know the whole story, but isn't that enough? I have no family. My parents left me. They didn't want me. Who knows, Lilah could've been setting me up to bring back to Wolfram & Hart. It's not like I have huge lifelong bond with her. I just don't know what to think anymore. I don't belong anywhere."

"Hey, that's not true. You still have me as your friend. Friends are forever." Faith said and then put her hand over Gwen's to reassure her, "I don't know much about Lilah, but from what I've seen she loves you. Like you were her sister and I believe that's how you she feels. She didn't have to help you. You were already in Wolfram & Hart's custody, so she didn't have to help you escape, but she wanted to. I know you're mad and confused and who knows what else, but you have to wait until you've had a chance to get used to all this."

"That's just it. I don't know that I want to." Gwen said, pausing to take a sip of her drink, "I don't want to get in the way of Lilah's real family. She deserves that. I hope she's happy, but I don't belong there."

Sensing words weren't going to be enough to reach Gwen, Faith tried a different approach, "I think you need to take your mind off this for a while. What do you say we go to the beach? I bet you could use that about now."

"Oh god that's sound so good right, but I don't have a thing to my name."

"And you think that's gonna stop us from having some fun at the beach? I have an expense account. Can ya believe it? I'll just charge a couple bikini's to it and call it a business transaction. Are you with me?" Faith asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"I can't resist that smile, so you got a deal. Let's go." Gwen said and slid out her side of the booth, grabbed Faith by the hand took off to the nearest mall.

** Angel's Apartment in Los Angeles.**

Lilah glared at Angel as Fred and Marisella looked back at her, "Thanks Angel, you have so much Angelus still inside, don't you? Ever hear of tact? Never mind, just get out."

"It's my place Lilah, might want to work on your manners a tad bit. But, I'll let you have some privacy, I have a god I need to talk to. Lock up when I leave." Angel ordered as he closed the door.

"Okay Lilah, tell us about Gwen." Fred asked.

"Well I was hoping Gwen would be here when I told you all about her, but she's been through a lot in the last few months and needed some fresh air." Lilah said, putting her best spin on the situation before she sat down beside Fred and Marisella and told them the story of her and Gwen.

Fred sat up when Lilah was finished with the story of her and Gwen's life, "So she's your sister. That's great. I can't wait to meet her. It's funny, she looks so much like you. The same dark hair, beautiful features and apparently is just as head strong."

"That she is. She's feeling a bit overwhelmed by the news that you 're my sister. She feels like she doesn't belong now and it's really hard to hear her talk like that." Lilah said, showing a hint of vulnerability that she tried so hard to keep hidden, "I just hope she will see things differently when she cools down a bit."

"Oh she will." Fred said as she gave her sister a warm hug.

"Yes, listen to your sister, I sense that Gwen is in need of comfort and reassurance and if you give it to her, she will be fine." Marisella added.

Lilah picked up on a strange vibe coming from Marisella, "That sounds oddly ominous. What happens if she doesn't get this reassurance from me or still feels left out? It sounds like you are foreshadowing something bad, is that true?"

Marisella slowly got to her feet and knelt down in front of Lilah, "I sense Gwen, like all of us do at some point in our life, is about to come to a fork in the road where she has to choose a path. One will lead her to a life of love and happiness, but the other will lead her down a road of destruction and I fear to a much shorter and much unhappier life. I'm sorry I had to tell you this, but I think you need to see how serious this could be."

"I don't think Gwen would choose that life over a life with me as a family. I know she'd grow to love both of you to, but with her powers, I just don't know what to do. I need to find her." Lilah said as she frantically searched for her coat and purse.

"Lilah, you can't help her now." Marisella shouted, "She will come back and she will know what she has with you and even then she will be tempted by other forces. Right now you need to relax and wait for her to return."

"How do you know all this?" Lilah asked, very curious about the answer as was Fred.

"I have the ability to, well, it's hard to explain." Marisella said with a laugh followed by a cough, "I can't see the future, but I can see bits and pieces of it. I see things clearer when they are connected to me. For the brief moment I saw Gwen, I could feel her connection to you and from that, I saw a glimpse of her future or future's. I just hope she picks the one with you in it."

"She will. I know she will. I can't lose her. Not now." Lilah said, unwilling to think of the alternative.

Fred held Lilah's hand tightly and then lifted Lilah's head up so she could look into her eyes, "Until Gwen gets back, why don't we let mom tell us more about her life and what it was like on Glascoph."

"Of course. You're right. I have totally neglected you mom and I'm sorry. I do want to know all about your life. Please, why don't you share some stories with us."

"Okay then, I'd love to do that." Marisella said, her face lighting up instantly, "There's so much I want to tell you and some things I need you to know. I don't know where to start."

There was a knock on the door before Marisella could say a thing and Lilah got up and walked over and opened it to find Kate standing there with a pretty blonde by her side.

Lilah was surprised to see Kate at first, "Kate, I completely forgot you were coming over here. Come in."

"Thanks." Kate said as she led Eve into the room.

Fred saw Eve and she was speechless, but that didn't keep her from running over and putting her arms around her.

"OMG, I can't believe it's you. I thought something bad had happened to you. Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you since well, you know, that night."

"That's a long story and it's the main reason I'm back." Eve said softly and then took Fred by the hand and led her into the kitchen, "Is there somewhere we can talk? I have some things to tell you that you are not going to like and I guess I'd rather do it alone. I understand if you don't want to."

"I'm not sure why I wouldn't want to." Fred said, unsure what Eve was talking about, "I mean, I am so happy you're okay. I was beginning to fear the worst."

"I'd love to just stay here and forget about the past, but until I tell you the whole story I won't be able to live with myself." Eve said as she turned around, unable to look Fred in the eyes any longer.

Fred followed, spun Eve around and held her arms down by her side and stared deep into her eyes, "Okay, now you're starting to scare me, what is going on?"

"Please, not here." Eve pleaded and quickly put her hand over Fred's, "Is there anywhere private we can talk?"

"I don't know this place very well, I just got here a while ago." Fred said as she looked around the spacious apartment, "It's a long story. We could go upstairs if you want, will that work?"

"That's fine. I just hope you don't hate me when I tell you everything." Eve said, almost in tears, "Just let hold me a little longer, I've missed this so much."

"I've missed holding you to." Fred said as she wrapped her arms around Eve's waist and pulled her in close. "I just don't know why you disappeared. Do you know how much it hurt, wondering if it was me you were running away from? Sure, after a week or two I knew it had to be something bigger, but I thought we had something special and after that night, I knew you felt the same way. You said so. Do you even remember telling me you loved me?"

Eve pulled back and turned away from Fred again, "Stop. I can't hear this right now. We need to go upstairs. If I don't tell you know I never will."

Watching Eve run up the stairs in a flash, Fred had little choice but to rush after her.

**End of Chapter 40.**

**Feedback is welcome and appreciated. **


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

**Ethan Rayne's Hideout.**

Wesley crept into the dark hideout with lumbering footsteps, his oversized flashlight lighting up half of Sunnydale and his backpack flapping back and forth against everything in sight, all the while telling Xander to be quiet. Finally, they made it through to dining room.

"Well, it appears as though we just missed the target. Perhaps we should look around for some clues." Wesley whispered.

"Okay, clues about what exactly?"

"Right, um, well, look for anything with The Horde logo on it. Yes, that's a good place to start." Wesley said, trying his best to sound like he knew what he was talking about.

"Sure thing Wes." Xander said, rolling his eyes at Wesley again.

Wesley stopped in his tracks, "It's Wesley Wyndham Pryce to you young man."

"Right then, let's have a look around Wes." Xander grinned and began searching the place from top to bottom.

With no luck finding any mention of the Horde, Wesley sat down in the large throne-like chair and leaned back. Of course as soon as he did the chair began to tip and seconds later Wesley was on the floor holding his head. As he looked up, he saw a strange looking hole in the ceiling.

Getting to his feet, he looked around for something to stand on as well as something to reach the ceiling with.

Xander grabbed the ladder nearby, picked up a large sword from the weapons rack and made his way up the ladder. As he got close to the ceiling, he lifted his sword up to the hole and gently poked it.

With nothing blocking the path, Xander pushed the sword further into the hole and began moving it around until he heard a loud scream. Stepping up to the top of the ladder, Xander reached up with his hand and peeked up into the hole. In the corner was a young man holding his hand and weeping openly. With a couple swipes of his hand he was able to push through the thin layer of ceiling and climb up inside and crawled over to have a look at what kind of damage he'd done to the person.

Carefully Xander moved the man's hand from his apparently wounded hand and as he looked close, he noticed there was nothing but a slight nick on his pinky finger, with no sign of actually breaking the skin at all.

Xander sat back and stared at the blonde haired young man, "You acted like you were stabbed in the heart. What the hell are you crying about?"

"Well, I thought it was worse." The young man said as he held his finger tightly, "It felt really bad and I was scared I was going to die. I've never been attacked by a sword wielding psycho before. Anyone would cry after that."

"I see, I'm sure you're right about that." Xander said rolling his eyes, "Anyway, who are you and what are you doing in Ethan Rayne's ceiling?"

"What, you don't who I am? I'm legendary around these parts. I am the leader of The Horde." He said as he ripped open his jacket to reveal a t-shirt with The Horde in large pink letters with happy faces all around it.

"You've got to be kidding? Are you for real?" Xander said unable to hold in his laughter, "So what do they call you, leader guy?"

"My name is Andrew. Just Andrew, you know like Cher or Bono or Prince. It's much more mysterious and I think it conjures up real fear when it's said alone. Don't you?" he said as he struck a pose and then promptly fell to the ground.

"Okay, I don't know how you get mixed up with the likes of Ethan Rayne, but you're coming with us now." Xander said as he backed his way down to the ladder.

Andrew looked down from above, "Hey, you can't tell me what to do. You're not the boss of me. I'm the boss of me. Ethan said so. So you better leave before I get angry and do something really, really bad. I can ya know."

Wesley was following the conversation and was equally puzzled by the whole situation, "Young man, you need to get down here right this minute. When Ethan Rayne comes back and sees that you've been spying on him, I don't think he's going to be very happy."

"No, he told me I could live up here and formulate my next plan. I've been here for a couple months now. Just doing some final tweaking of my master plan. It's going to be amazing."

Xander stepped back up on the ladder and looked up at Andrew, "Well then, you've just been captured and are now property of the slayers. It's all part of the art of war. So, you need to surrender and be a real warrior about it."

"But, I don't want to be a prisoner. Can I join your team?" Andrew asked hopefully.

"Well of course you can. Come on down and we'll put you to good use to. Your information will be vital to our side." Xander added as he helped Andrew down the ladder.

"This is great. Can I meet the slayers? I'd really like their autograph's." Andrew said as he looked at Xander and then Wesley, anxiously awaiting their response.

Wesley just turned and walked out the main door, leaving Xander to deal with Andrew's never ending questions.

"Yes, I'm sure we can get the slayers to take some time out of their fight to sign some autographs for ya. How's that?" Xander asked excitedly, trying to match Andrew's enthusiasm, "They might want to know how you got mixed up with The Horde and Ethan Rayne though, so I hope you have a good story to tell them."

"I can tell them all about Ethan and some of his friends to. I was a big part of his organization." Andrew added proudly as he followed Wesley out of the hideout as Xander shook his head in disbelief.

**Outside the Summers' House.**

Dawn was out in the front yard giving Sigmund some fresh air when she saw Buffy walking towards her. Sigmund wasn't near as excited to see the slayer and hid behind Dawn as Buffy stopped in front of them.

"Did mom come home?" Buffy asked, keeping an eye on Sigmund as she did.

"Yes, she got back about 20 minutes ago." Dawn said, looking at her watch to check the time, "I think Giles told her that the tapes of Glory were fake and now she's upset and confused about what to do about it."

"Oh, that won't be fun for her. I just don't know what to think about all this." Buffy said and walked over to the porch and sat down, "First we find out Giles is our birth father and now we found out mom was in love with some god. I wonder how much of this dad knows about."

"I don't know, but judging by her reaction to this Glory situation, I think she's still got feelings for her." Dawn added as she sat down beside her sister, "If they only broke up because of a lie, what's to say they won't get back together now?"

"I know, it's a scary though. I'm not sure Glory can change enough to live a normal life. I can't imagine having her as another mom. Ewe." Buffy said with a laugh.

"Well, I do want her to be happy, so I guess she's going to have to figure this out and I'll try and deal with Glory if it happens, but I hope it doesn't. Is that mean?" Dawn asked.

Buffy smiled at Dawn's curious question, "Maybe a little, but it's just being honest. Anyway, I have to find Faith. We found some information out about Willow that connects all three of us and I think she needs to know about this. Has she called?"

"No, the only call we got was from Fred. She said she was teleported to LA and is with her sister and mom now. She did mention that Faith was there with a girl named Gwen and some vampire who was good or something. Anyway, I think she called him Angel. Not sure what any of this means, she said she'd call as soon as she could."

"Gwen was the girl she was trying to help. I don't know a thing about a good vampire, so that's a bit strange. Lilah must be Fred's sister. It's good she found her. I'm happy for her." Buffy said with a smile and then turned to Dawn, "Listen, why don't you and I go to park for awhile. We haven't done that in a long time. You can even bring your smart-alecky pet of yours. If he behaves that is."

"I'd love to." Dawn agreed quickly and then walked over and picked Sigmund up and held him in front of Buffy. "He's doing much better now. Once you get used to his sarcasm, you'll see he's not really mean, it's just his way of communicating."

"Well, let's go and maybe Sigmund and I can have a little talk on the way." Buffy said as she gave Sigmund a friendly pat on the top of his head.

** Outside Willow's house.**

Willow had only been home for a couple minutes when her mom asked her to go to the store for her, so she was on her way when she bumped into Cordy, was on her way back home.

"I'm glad to see you. I was going to call when I got back home, but this is even better." Willow said and then looked around to make sure the coast was clear and she leaned in and gave Cordelia a soft kiss on the lips.

Cordelia kissed her back, but didn't know why and quickly pulled away, "What the hell are you doing?"

"What? What do you mean? Is something wrong?" Willow asked in a state of shock.,

"Well yes, you kissing me is wrong. We aren't exactly best friends, let alone girlfriends. Why did you kiss me anyway? It doesn't seem like the Willow I know." Cordy wondered and then she moved up to Willow and checked her eyes, "You're not on drugs are ya? Cause they say it's quiet ones that it affects the most drastically."

"No, I am not on drugs." Willow yelled, pushing Cordy away from her face, "God, what happened to you? You were going to some meeting and now you seem to have lost your mind. Who was the meeting with?"

Cordy stopped and tried to remember, but nothing came to her. "I don't know. Something strange happened though. I don't remember a thing until I woke up in the school boiler room. I was alone and I didn't know how I got there. I don't remember anything since just after Valentine's Day. I remember wanting my latest ex to pay for dumping me and I…Oh I don't know what happened after. I've lost my memory. How long have I been asleep?"

"Well, you weren't exactly asleep." Willow said with a slight chuckle, "It just seems like someone erased all your memories since that day. Maybe if you can remember everything about that day it will come to you."

"That still doesn't explain why you were kissing me? Just what was I doing these last few months?" Cordy asked and then looked into Willow's eyes and she knew exactly what she'd been doing, "Oh no, you don't mean that, not us? We were? How did this happen? Not that you're a bad kisser, but there has to be a reason for it."

"Gee thanks, I'm glad I'm such a bad memory for you. Maybe it's best we just leave it at that for now. I don't think I can take you making fun of what we had. I need to get to the store." Willow said, taking one last look at Cordy and then running off.

Cordelia followed her and caught up to her at the end of the street, "I'm sorry if I came off a bit insensitive, but I find this all so hard to understand. We didn't even hang out much really. The odd time at lunch and a couple times we walked home together, but how did we become, you know, a couple? Is that what we ere?"

"Yes, I guess so." Willow nodded, smiling ever so slightly that Cordy had chased after her, "You approached me at school and asked me to go out and one thing led to another. We spent some time shopping and talking and then you kissed me and I kissed you back and things just clicked so perfectly with us. It was, well this is going to sound silly now, but it was like we were made for each other. And when we were together, oh my god, it was amazing."

"Did you say together? As in sex together?" Cordy asked almost in a whisper.

Willow smiled and nodded yes.

"Oh my god." Cordy mouthed the words and then quickly changed her tune, "So, was it good?"

"Yes, it was spectacular." Willow said with a breathless sigh, "You loved it as much as I did. We made love in your parents house last night. For hours and hours. Even if you can't remember it, I'll always have the memory of that night."

"This is amazing. How can this have happened and I not remember a thing? I need to find out why this happened and who did this to me." Cordy said, pacing back and forth trying to process everything. She stopped turned back towards Willow, "I hope you know you're going to help me find out."

"Oh I am?" Willow asked, feeling like it was more of an order than a request, "I don't think that's a good idea. I like my memories of you from when you enjoyed being around me. When you couldn't wait to kiss me. You have no idea how good all that made me feel. Seeing you like this, the way you find the whole idea of us together almost repulsive or laughable, it's just not fun to see or hear."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be mean." Cordy said, instinctively putting her hand over Willow's arm, "I just wonder how it all happened. I don't think you want to believe this was all just some kind of spell do you? If what you're saying is true…"

"If? Did you say if?" Willow asked, her voice and temper both a second away from exploding, "I am not lying Cordy. I don't lie."

"Okay, okay." Cordy replied quickly, "Since this happened, I'm sure you want to make sure it wasn't magic that made us get together. Right?"

"I don't know if I want that. What if it was some dumb magic spell? Does that mean it wasn't real? I don't want to believe that what we had was not real. Do you want to see my cry? Is that it?" Willow said, turning away from Cordy and growing increasingly disillusioned about the time they shared together.

"Of course not, but you know something is wrong here. People don't lose their memories every day. I'd really like your help." Cordy asked softly as she put her hand on Willow's shoulder, "Maybe being with you will help bring back some of those memories I've lost."

"Please don't do that." Willow said as she pulled away from Cordy's touch, "Okay, I'll help you if I can, but I don't know what you think I can do."

"Well, I think two heads are better than one and you have intimate knowledge about the things I did after my last memories, so you might be able to tell me something that could trigger a memory or something." Cordelia said as she pleaded her case. Walking back up behind Willow, she slowly turned her around and looked into her pretty green eyes, "I want you to know something, I do not object or feel bad about us being together. I think it's great. As I look at you now, I can feel things that I never felt before. I'm not trying to make you feel better, but I can say that I am feeling a strong attraction to you right now. This is real. It doesn't mean I'm ready to start kissing you or anything, but it means I can see that there is something between us that is very real."

Willow smiled at Cordelia's sweet words and couldn't help but give her a big hug. Cordelia hugged Willow back and as their bodies touched and the hug lingered, Cordelia pulled away.

"We better stop doing that." Cordelia said as she adjusted her sweater and skirt and pulled out a mirror to check her hair and makeup.

"Okay, I do have to get some things at the store for my mom, but maybe we could get together later and start going over everything you remember before this memory blackout started."

"That would be really good. Thanks again Willow." Cordelia said and then instinctively gave Willow another hug.

Willow didn't mind one bit and slid her hands down Cordelia's back and the down over her firm round ass.

Cordelia's eyes lit up and she looked at Willow, "Hey, watch the hands missy. Since when did you get so aggressive?"

"I think I learned it from you. Sorry, just a very nice habit I picked up. Hands off now, see." Willow smiled and held up her hands for Cordy to see.

"Well, I think this is going to be quite fun working with you Miss Rosenberg. I'll call you later and we can set this up. You have a nice trip to the store and I look forward to tonight. Bye."

"Bye." Willow said with a big smile, and then watched Cordelia walk away, her eyes enjoying the view as she felt her heart begin beating faster and faster, just like it did the night before. As she began walking towards the store she couldn't help think that maybe, just maybe, things won't be so bad after all.

**Venice Beach**

Faith and Gwen arrived at a secluded section of Venice Beach and quickly spread out a large blanket, a couple towels and Gwen lay down on her back, still in her hospital gown, but happy to be free at last.

After setting up the blankets, Faith opened her little over night bag and emptied it beside Gwen. A couple bikinis fell to the ground along with some suntan lotion, a CD player and ghetto blaster and last but not least, a couple pairs of shades.

"Here, you can put this on." Faith said as she handed a tiny red string bikini to Gwen, "I kind of hoped we'd get some time alone and I came prepared."

"I'm so glad to be with you right now. You make me forget all my family problems." Gwen smiled and then looked around the beach, "Only problem is, I have nowhere to change into this. It's not like were completely alone out here. There's a family over there less than 200 feet away."

"Since when are you shy about getting naked?" Faith teased as she pulled out her own white bikini and began removing her clothes.

"Oh I don't know, maybe it was the 6 months in solitary confinement that did it." Gwen laughed, holding the bikini up against her body, "You remembered I liked red. Well, if you are going to change right here, I guess I can."

"Good, it's easy to do. Watch, I can do it without showing too much skin." Faith said and then began sliding out of her top and then with a little help from Gwen, slid out of her very tight jeans.

Gwen watched as Faith slid out of her bra and slid into her bikini top within seconds and did the same with her panties and was soon standing up showing off her bikini to an appreciative Gwen.

"Very nice. Now I'm even happier we came here. You really do look great in that. You look even better than I remember. Time's been good to you I see." Gwen smiled and started removing her big bulky hospital gown and with a little help from Faith, had slid out of her underwear and slipped into her bikini minutes later.

Gwen grabbed Faith's hand and got to her feet and looked down at how she looked and felt pretty good about it, "Not bad for being cooped for so long. I sure could use a good swim."

"Wait, we need to get some lotion on you for sure now. You haven't been in sun for a long time, so let's just get you covered up. You don't mind if I put some on ya, do ya?" Faith asked with a sexy whisper.

Gwen lay down on her stomach and turned towards Faith, "I don't mind a bit. In fact, it might be better than swim."

Faith knelt down beside Gwen, poured some lotion on her hands and began to run it over Gwen's soft pale skin.  
"Oh, that feels so good. Your hands always had a magical effect on me." Gwen sighed as she closed her eyes and enjoyed Faith's soft tender hands sliding across her half naked body.

"You are so tense. Your shoulders and neck feel so stiff. Let's see if I can do something about that." Faith said with a sexy moan.

It wasn't long before Faith had lotion on every inch of Gwen's sexy body and soon had her turn over on her back so she could continue. Faith started down by Gwen's cute little feet and soon was moving up her legs and over her thighs, her thumbs sliding every so carefully up her inner thighs, before moving up to Gwen's toned tummy.

Gwen smiled as Faith slowly covered her tummy with lotion. She let out a sexy moan as Faith's hands moved up to her breasts, rubbing gently against them as she moved up to her soft neck and finally over her shoulders and arms, before moving back to her equally soft lips.

Hovering above Gwen, Faith looked down at her beautiful friend and couldn't resist her sexy lips any longer and leaned down and kissed her softly. Gwen was quick to respond and turned Faith onto her back as she kissed her back hard and deep.

Pulling away for a moment, Gwen paused and looked down at Faith, "This feels so much like déjà vu. I remember our last trip to the beach so clearly. I can't help but think something is going to get in the way of this one to. It's like we're cursed to never be together."

"Oh you don't believe in that stuff do you?" Faith asked with a smile, "We had a little bad luck, but it's not like we didn't have a lot of fun before that day. I think you need to get some lotion on me and then we need to get in the water so you can get your mind of this."

"Maybe you're right." Gwen agreed with a nod, "Roll over. I will start on that sexy pair of legs of yours."

"Here I thought you just wanted to stare at my ass. I'm crushed." Faith said with pretend pout as she rested her head in her hands and waited for Gwen's hands to make contact with her body.

Gwen didn't keep her waiting long and was soon rubbing the now warm liquid over Faith's legs, thighs and then over her very firm round ass. After a lengthy pause to enjoy her sexy ass, Gwen moved up Faith's back and neck and then over her shoulders.

Once Faith turned her around, Gwen finished off the job and helped Faith to her feet, "Okay, let's get in the water and have some fun before fate gets in the way again."

"I'm with ya, but nothing is going to get in the way this time." Faith said as she took Gwen's hand and led her out into the Pacific Ocean.

It was a special moment for Gwen after being locked up for so long. To feel so free and alive again and to do it with Faith made it even more enjoyable. They splashed around for a good long time before they decided to take a break and headed back to their area and flopped down on the large beach towel and began to dry off.

"Well, that was fun." Gwen said as she sat up and continued to dry off her long dark hair, "I haven't been swimming for so long I almost forgot how. You looked pretty comfortable in the water though.

"I've been swimming quite a bit since our last time together." Faith added as she to began drying off her long wavy hair, "I spent some time doing community service at a rec center in Boston and one of the perks was free swimming after hours. It was the one thing I enjoyed when I was there. Gave me another excuse not to go home."

Gwen couldn't miss the reference to Faith's unhappy childhood and knew this was as good a time as any to ask her about it, "You've mentioned not having a dad and that your mom wasn't much of a mom, but you didn't really say much else, but I am curious to know all about your life. The good and the bad. So if you want to talk, I'm here."

"I don't know, I don't see the point in crying about my life. It is what it is. It wasn't great, but I turned out not so bad, for the most part." Faith said with a smirk, "It's not like I don't have some issues with my mom and sure wish I'd known my dad, but by all accounts he didn't want kids anyway so who knows how he'd feel about a teenager."

"I bet he'd want to see you now. Maybe he was young when you were born, most people do mature and change as they get older and anyone would be lucky to have you as a daughter."

"You say the nicest things, but what if he didn't want me even now? I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of rejection again. It's taken me 17 years to come to terms with him leaving in the first place, I think I'll wait a bit before I go searching for him." Faith added and then looked back at Gwen, "Anyway, what about you? You had a new family introduced to you today. I hope you know it's a good thing to be wanted like that. And Lilah does want you in her life."

"I still don't know what to do about that. It's so strange to find out we aren't sisters. Not real sisters and I might have been able to handle that had she not found her real sister. That's the tough part. It makes me feel like an outsider. Like a third wheel and I hate that. I just hate that the one thing I thought was solid ends up being fake. A lie. I guess I should give a chance, but how do I pretend I'm happy about all this when I'm not?"

"I wish I had the answer for that, but I don't. I can't know how you feel about all this, but I do think that there's a lot more good in having a family that loves and cares about you, than having nobody. Maybe they'll surprise you and you'll feel right home with them in a hurry. I can think of worse things than having a new family."

"I'll deal with that when we go back home. For now, I just want to enjoy our time together." Gwen said and then lie back down on her back, closed her eyes and enjoyed the sun.

**End of Chapter 41**.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

**Glory's office at Wolfram & Hart**.

Angel sat with his feet up on Glory's desk, sifting through some files on her desk as he waited for her to show up for work. One particular folder caught his eye and he picked up a large folder, filled with papers marked, Riley Finn, and began to read.

He was so wrapped up in his reading he didn't hear Glory as she entered the office and as he went flying through the air and landed hard against the far wall, he found out the hard way.

"Glory, it's nice to see you again. I see you still have your powers." Angel said as he pulled himself to his feet, "Sorry to intrude, but I really couldn't make an appointment. You know how things are."

"Yes I do." Glory agreed and then gave Angel a look of disappointment, "Give me that file and then tell me why you're here before I kill you."

Angel tossed the file back on her desk, "There ya go. I see you're direct as always. I respect that. Now let's get down to business."

"I don't have any business with you." Glory said bluntly as she sat down in her comfortable leather chair.

"Not true." Angel said shaking his head, "You have no Wolfram & Hart business with me anymore, but we do have some similar interests that I think we should talk about."

"Oh really, what would they be?" Glory said with a disinterested eyeroll, "Lilah Morgan? Gwen Raiden? Fred Burkle? The Chosen Two? I could go on but I think you get the message. I know everyone you've had contact with and I still don't see how we have anything to talk about."

"If I wanted to shake your little spies I would, but for now, they serve a purpose." Angel said, more than ready to get Glory's attention, "Anyway, I'm really here to talk about Joyce Summers."

Glory couldn't hide her surprise and it showed in her inability to speak.

"I had a feeling that would grab your attention." Angel said proudly as he put his feet back up on Glory's desk, "Now, I guess the big question is what are you going to do about the fact she's alive and well and just found out that those tapes of yours were fake?"

"What did you say? How do you know this?" Glory asked, her voice full of surprise, excitement and exhilaration as she tried to figure out what Angel was up to.

Angel couldn't help but smirk at Glory's reaction, "Oh it's not important how I know, just that I do. Now, the way I see it you have one chance to stay amongst the living and that's to leave Wolfram & Hart while you still call the shots."

Glory slid the Riley Finn file back into her desk and looked back up at Angel, "What difference does it make to you what I do or whether I live or die?"

"Oh it doesn't, but I have this feeling and it's telling me that there's still hope for you." Angel said and then walked up behind Glory's chair and leaned over her shoulder, "You were almost there when you hooked up with Joyce. I think you need to reevaluate what you want out of your life and start making some decisions about what side of this fight you want to be on. When all is said and done, your side is going down."

"You sound so confident, I almost believe you." Glory whispered back at Angel and then pushed him away from her chair, "Something doesn't add up. There has to be another reason you don't want me working for Wolfram & Hart besides your fake concern about my love life."

"Okay, I'll admit it, I do have some ulterior motives for wanting you to stay alive, but that doesn't mean I can't want you to be happy does it? I've got a soul now, I get things like relationships. Well, as much as a guy can, but I also read a prophecy about you and a certain former slayer and it was very interesting." Angel said with almost a whisper, turning to walk away from Glory, "I don't think Wolfram & Hart has seen this one and I'm pretty sure the Watchers Council hasn't either, so you might be the first person other than me that has."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Either get to the point or get out." Glory snapped, not happy with Angel's riddles.

"You know, some things require a certain build up to achieve the desired affect, but since you're in such a hurry, I'll just spit it out." Angel said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a couple pieces of paper, copied from an ancient book. "Here it is. This is from the Epitrium Sanctum, volume III, the latest version. It was hidden in an underground library in Western Mongolia. I never got the connection until I heard about you and Joyce and then it all became very clear."

"Oh just read it. I'm not a big history buff, so spare me the details of how you found it." Glory ordered, "Now get to the part where I'm mentioned."

"Sure thing." Angel said, shaking his head at Glory's lack of patience, "Okay, I'll skip the early parts, even though it does explain why the rest is meaningful. Here it is, it says and I quote, 'In the years that follow the capture of a god with enormous powers at the hands of her former lover, a slayer, a battle of epic proportions will be fought and the god will be in the middle of the mayhem. Which side she chooses will be the difference between life and a second chance at happiness or eternal darkness at the hands of the Chosen Two.' End quote. Pretty juicy stuff don't ya think?"

Glory was mildly intrigued by what she'd just heard, "You know as well as I do that most of these prophecies are just crap, so what makes you think this one is going to come true?"

"I'd say it makes more sense now that the time is here and everything said in it has come true." Angel moved back over and sat the book down in front of Glory, "Here we are, with you sitting on the fence not sure where you stand. I think there's a big part of you that will always wonder what might've been if you don't find a way to resolve things with Joyce. I'm not trying to play matchmaker, but we always got along and I'd like to see that continue."

"I think it's up to Joyce what happens next. She did the banishing and she was wrong to do it. I think I've shown remarkable restraint not exacting any revenge on her or her family. I'm not going to base my decision on some old prophecy." Glory said, not willing to show her hand just yet, "I like my job at Wolfram & Hart. I like the power that goes with it. I don't know that I was meant to be good. Don't you miss the rush you used to get as Angelus when you made a kill or just scared someone with your presence?"

"No, I can't say that I do. I see most everything different now that I have a soul. I was beginning to feel that way even before. Boredom is a great motivator for change. I feel like this is where I was meant to be. Corny I'm sure, but I feel my destiny is only just beginning." Angel added, walking back in front of Glory's desk, "Enough about me, you may be a god and you may be almost invincible, but there's always a way to kill things. If not me, then the slayers, either way, your life is not going to be fun if you stay on this path. I've said what I came to say and rest is up to you."

"I don't get you at all. I still don't see you as some white knight out to save the world. You just don't seem like the type." Glory said as she got to her feet and walked in a circle around Angel, "Somewhere deep down Angelus is still there and when you get bored with helping people, he'll come back out again. Soul or no soul, your destiny has yet to be decided. Now, I'll take what you said under consideration and I guess when the time comes we'll either be fighting side by side or one of us is going to die. We both know the risks, it's the game we choose to play."

"Yes it is. Well, I'm off." Angel said as he stopped in front of the door and turned slowly back to Glory, "You do realize there is something bigger taking shape as we speak, bigger than Wolfram & Hart or the slayers or you or I. When it hits, that's when we'll see what were all made of. Until we meet again."

Glory sat back down at her desk and pulled out the Riley Finn file and began to read.

**The Bronze**.

Riley Finn walked into The Bronze and looked around for any sign of Oz and as usual Oz was up on stage getting things ready for his band's set later that night.

"Hey there, I hear you saw something you didn't like. Are you going let me explain or is that it?" Riley questioned as he stood in front of Oz.

Oz took some time before he stood up and responded, "I don't think there is much to explain. It was pretty clear what you said. Not much room for misinterpretation. It's good to know this now, I just wish I had known earlier."

"When we found you, I admit I considered you a serious threat to the public. Even you admit this now. Without your medication and the treatments I've created, you'd still be locking yourself in a cage every full moon. I did all that because I felt you were worth it. I knew there was more to you than just the werewolf inside you. What I think is unfair is taking some comments I made years ago and acting like it's how I feel now. When you know it's not."

"Riley, I think deep down you will always wonder if one day I'll turn into a werewolf and start killing again. Maybe you think I'll forget to take my meds and will go on a rampage and kill are your precious scientists and your research will come to a halt." Oz said with a hint of anger in his usual monotone voice, "It doesn't matter, it was time to move on anyway."

"It matters to me." Riley yelled and as everyone in the club promptly stared at him, he lowered his voice and continued, "I'm not denying that at one time I did worry about you, but that's so far in the past I don't think it is even relevant now. Like I said, back then, even you felt this way, so what's this really about? If you want out that's fine, but at least give me the real reason."

"I just think we have some very different views on some of the research you're doing and what you will be doing in the future. I thought your handling of Joyce's situation was done with a total lack of concern for how it would affect her kids and her once she was shoved back into their lives. Not to mention the Spike fiasco. Your cloning experiments seem to be a huge success, but at what cost? Do you even think of the human element?"

Riley stood silent as he wondered what had got into Oz.

"What, you have nothing to say for yourself? I voiced my objections to the last couple projects you wanted to do and I don't think you would have changed your plans for anyone. Which makes me wonder what purpose I really serve. I need to concentrate on my music. That's what inspires me now."

"I'm just stunned that you've been holding all this in for so long. Here I thought you enjoyed your work and were happy with some of the things we've accomplished in the last couple years."  
"Things YOU'VE accomplished." Oz said, raising his voice for the first time in recent memory, "They were your ideas and you set them in motion. I just followed orders. Have you ever accepted one of my ideas? Ever? No, you just don't think you believe anyone can have a good idea besides you. I don't want to argue. I just think it's time to move on."

"Look Oz, I don't want to be cruel, but some of your ideas were pretty out there, even for a werewolf. Not to make light of them, but you wanted to create a hybrid of bats and cats to see if the cats would sleep upside down and if the bats would meow. You don't think that's a bit strange?"

"No, I've always wondered about that. I'm sure many people have." Oz said, proudly defending his idea, "Besides, that was just my first suggestion. I think I improved over time."

Riley shook his head, wishing he didn't have to continue, "Okay, your second idea was to create a way to eliminate the full moons by blocking them with a giant umbrella. You must see that something that immense is simply not possible. It's why it was voted down 36-1.

Oz shook his head, annoyed at how Riley made all his ideas seem so silly, "The idea is a good one, I just hadn't worked out the details before I suggested it. Anyway, those were early ideas, my last idea was a very good one and it got the same treatment."

"Oz, I enjoy your company and think you are a very hard worker who has helped with my research more than I could ask, but when it comes to ideas, I think you some problems with what's realistic and feasible as opposed to what sounds good at the time. I have weaknesses to. I am terrible with people. I don't communicate well. I tend to like to give orders rather than have a talk with people. I thought you were the one person I could talk to. Was I wrong?"

"Hang on. My last idea was to try and get mice to be productive members of society. They are smart, quick, fast learners and could help with so many every day chores. Such as garbage removal, insect control and yes, even as pets. They are wonderful creatures." Oz added, still beaming at his unique ideas.

Riley couldn't help but smile at his good friend, "I admire your determination and you know I put your suggestion up to the board and it was unanimously rejected. That's not meant to be negative, but it's not just me who makes those decisions. I honestly don't think the world is ready for mice as friendly family helpers yet. Not to mention you didn't quite get around to explaining how you'd train the mice."

"I'd find a way." Oz said cracking a smile for the first time since they began talking, "You know, all my ideas sound so insane when you say them, but in my head, I believe in them. Why am I so bad at this? I want to contribute more than just running errands and crunching numbers for you. Maybe that's why I left. I don't feel like I'll ever become a big idea man. Maybe that's why I was meant to be in band. I can have my 15 minutes of fame every night on stage. It's not rocket science, but when the fans are screaming and the place is packed, it's a different kind of rush."  
"I've always wanted you to play your music and I don't know what to say about the work. I think in time some of your ideas might…possibly…oh hell, they'll never work, but I still want you to come back as my assistant. If you want a raise I think we can arrange that." Riley laughed.

"I do deserve it." Oz said with a deadpanned expression, "I would like to learn how to come up with some more useful ideas though. Maybe that could be your next project. I'm tired of having only bad ideas."

"I'll do whatever I can to help." Riley said as he checked his watch, "I have to get back to the lab, I have a meeting with Glory that could be very interesting. When you're done here, you should head back to the lab and you can sit in on it if you want."

"That sounds promising. I'll be there when I'm done. Thanks boss." Oz said as she shook Riley's hand, "And don't forget about the raise."

"Raise? I think my hearing's going." Riley said as he turned to leave the club, "Have a good set."

**The Mayors Office. Underground Headquarters**.

"Giles, you better have a look at this." The mayor said as he looked at his computer radar screen.

Getting up from his chair, Giles picked up his glasses and strolled over to the large computer display terminal and focused his eyes on the map. He took a long look at the map and then checked the print outs and then double checked everything before he turned to the mayor, "Is this even possible? Could it be an error? Have you checked with the London office?"

"Yes, and they are getting the same readings as we are. If we can see this, then you know Wolfram & Hart can as will the entire world." The mayor stated as he pushed a couple buttons on the computer, bringing up another screen, "This is taken from a spy satellite in deep space, it's magnified 100,000 times and as you can see, it gives a very ominous view of what's coming our way."

"Do we have an estimate of the size of this fleet of ships?" Giles asked as he sat down and put his glasses on.

The mayor rifled through some papers in his hand, "It's a rough estimate, but our latest guess is 500,000 ships, each ship about three times the size of the largest military craft in the world. They are about 60 days away from entering our orbit."

"Has it been confirmed that they are Deparis ships?"

"Yes, from a couple sources." The mayor nodded as he handed Giles a couple files, "Apparently this is causing quite a stir in the demon realm. Where they were keeping these ships is still a mystery, but they are real and they are on their way. We can only imagine it's to finish the job and get rid of Marisella once and for all."

"That leaves us very few options. I can't get that old saying out of my head, that the welfare of many outweigh the good of the one." Giles said as he tried to remain philosophical, "I know Fred's not going to like it, but unless they get what they are after, I think they will be content with destroying the whole planet, just to make sure there are no survivors."

"We will do that as a last resort. There has to be another way to stop them from entering our orbit or better yet, finding a way to communicate with them. It's becoming very clear that there was more to these two races than we've been led to believe." The Mayor said as he checked another surveillance report and then looked back at Giles, "We need to find Marisella and have another talk with her very soon. Is there any word on her whereabouts? If Riley was involved, it means he found something out that we don't know"

"I'll call Buffy, but I think it's clear Fred is also involved in this as I haven't heard from her for a couple days. We knew this would happen and now we need to deal with it." Giles got up and walked over to elevator, took out his cell phone, but turned back to the mayor before he placed his call, "I need to get in touch with Glory and find out what Wolfram & Hart knows about this new threat. Advise the London office of this meeting."

** End of Chapter 42**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

**Angel's Apartment in Los Angeles **

Lila brought two cups of coffee with her from the kitchen and she sat one down in front of her mother and the other she sat beside her on the night table. Staring across at the woman who gave birth to her, Lilah had a million questions for her, but for the first time in her life, she was unable to speak.

Marisella took a sip of the coffee and broke the silence, "You seem nervous. There's no reason to be. I wish you knew how happy finding you and Fred has made me. It's changed my whole outlook on life on this planet of yours."

"You've made me happy to. I just don't know where to begin." Lilah laughed, "I'm not usually like this. I'm always in control and now…I just feel so different around you. I want to know everything about where you came from and so much more, but I want Fred here with me when you tell us."

"Yes, that's a good idea." Marisella agreed as she shifted in her seat, "Why don't you tell me about you. I want to know all about your life. Both you and Fred have so much to share with me and each other. Tell me how you ended up working for this company that Fred seems to despise."

"Oh Fred is partly right. Wolfram & Hart is not exactly a legit law firm, but the pay is good and they actually let me do things and treated me as an equal right from the start. That's rare in this day and age. Wolfram & Hart doesn't care if you are man, woman, demon, vamp or alien for that matter, they only care about one thing, the bottom line. I get things done at my job." Lilah said proudly. After a brief pause, she looked back at her mother, "Lately I've been wondering if it's worth it and now that I've found you and Fred and my association with Angel, well, I'm not so sure I'll be going back or if they'd take me back.

"It's ironic, if not intriguing, that the two of you worked for so long on opposites and now you might actually get to work together. That must make you feel good. You do want to work with your sister don't you?" Marisella asked, hoping strongly that Lilah would agree.

"I guess." Lilah nodded, not wanting to disappoint her mother, "I want to get to know her first. I'm not sure we share the same way of thinking. She's very idealistic from what I've seen and I might be a bit too jaded to work with the good guys, but I don't think I could work against her either. She's so damn sweet it's almost sickening." Lilah said with a big eye roll, "But, I mean that in a good way." She added as she smiled at her mother.

"Who was that girl Fred ran up the stairs with?"

"I'm not sure how Fred knows her. I've seen her at some company parties. She's the daughter of a wealthy lawyer who works for the firm. She was very ambitious from what I remember. She was willing to do anything to get ahead, but she disappeared for the last year and I think it's clear it had something to do with Fred. I just don't know what it is." Lilah said as she looked up towards the stairs.

Eve paced back in forth in front of Fred for a good five minutes before Fred stood up and stopped her, "That's enough. You need to tell me what's going on here."

"I want to, but it's going to hurt you so much."

"What is? Just tell me."

Looking into Fred's sweet face only made things harder for Eve, "Okay, I need to say how sorry I am for everything I did and everything I'm about to tell you. I'm not the same person as I was back then. I was young and stupid and I didn't realize how lucky I was to have you in my life. If I could turn back time, I'd never do what I did. Not for anything. I promise you that."

"Eve, you are talking in circles." Fred said, wondering what was going through Eve's head, "What did you do?"

"Fine, I need to do this. You better sit down." Eve said and then waited for Fred to sit back down on the bed, "Okay, the night I disappeared and the night you had the memory loss were no a coincidence. Oh god, this is so hard. You look so sweet and innocent right now, it's just how I remember you. I'm so stupid."

"Eve, you are trying my patience." Fred said, her voice raising slightly, her smile fading each second Eve avoided the truth, "I'm not going to be very sweet if you do not tell me what's going on."

"Well, it isn't pretty." Eve said, trying to build of the courage to say what she needed to say, "I'm not sure if you know this, but my dad works for Wolfram & Hart. He's very good friends with Holland Manners. Holland asked me to do something for him and he promised it would not hurt you in any way, but he said there was something special about you and he wanted to do some tests on you to see what it was. I helped him get access to you after our night together. That's why you are missing the time. Whatever they did must've have been erased from your memory."

"You did what?" Fred asked, getting up off the bed and looked back at Eve, "I keep hoping you are going to tell me this is all a joke and you are kidding, but I can see you aren't. I don't even know what to say. Why would you do this to me? Why? I don't even know what they did, but obviously it wasn't good. God knows the kinds of things they could've done though. And you helped them after we spent that wonderful night together? After we made love for hours and hours. After I told you I loved you?"

Eve felt her heart drop as she saw the look of disappointment in Fred's eyes, "I'm sorry. Everything was already in place before our night began. I had no idea we would have such an amazing night. It was impossible to stop once I'd agreed to it. I know it's no excuse and I feel so horrible for what I put you through, but I know that's not enough."

"You're damn right it's not enough." Fred yelled, "So tell me Eve, what was the price for selling me out?"

"I didn't do it for the money."

"Oh, so you didn't get paid?" Fred questioned, not sure what to believe, "If it wasn't for the money, then please, tell me what was for?"

"I told you I was young and stupid and I wanted to get my head in the door at Wolfram & Hart. I wanted to make Holland notice me. I thought it was what I wanted, but I was so wrong. I just wanted some attention, but you have to know that as soon as this all happened, I couldn't live with myself." Eve said, pleading for Fred to understand, "I couldn't stand to see you again. I didn't run to Wolfram & Hart and join them, I ran away. I tried to start over. I wanted to make a life where you would be proud of me. I was on the right track when Kate found me."

"I can't believe you would do something like this to a friend." Fred said as she sat in disbelief at what she was hearing, "What did Wolfram & Hart to do me? You must know if they found anything out."

"No, I don't know. I told you, I left after this happened. The next day I got in my car and just kept driving." Eve explained as she tried to move closer to Fred, "If you want, I can try and find out why they were so interested in you."

"Oh, I think you've helped enough. Besides, I think I know what they were looking for, only question I have is whether they've found anything or not." Fred replied while pulling away from Eve.

"I know you're mad and I can't blame you, but I'm hoping that in time you'll find it in your heart to give me a second chance." Eve continued to try and get close to Fred, "I can promise you I've changed, but I need to be able to show you and I can't do that if you shut me out completely."

Fred felt the sincerity in Eve's voice and even felt a part of her wanting to just forgive her and forget everything that had happened, but the rest of her was too upset to give in, "Right now I don't even want to look at you. Okay, so if that's all you came here for you can leave."

Eve thought about pleading her case further, but the look on Fred's face along with the wide open bedroom door made her think twice. She did however manage to brush up along side of her as she walked towards the door and as Fred turned her head away, she leaned up, kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "I still love you. Don't give up on me." And then ran down the stairs.

Running past Lilah and Marisella in a flash, Eve ran into the kitchen and put her arms around Kate, "I need to go. Fred doesn't want to see me right now and I need to be away from her until she is."

Kate couldn't pry Eve's hands from her waist, so she gave in to her request, "Okay, I have to talk to Lilah and then we can go head back to Sunnydale."

Fred rushed down the stairs moments later and ran up to Marisella, "I want to go back to Sunnydale. Now."

Marisella wasn't sure what to make of Fred's sudden mood switch, "But we just got here. What about your sister? Don't you want to spend some time with her?"

"I do, but I can't be here right now. I can't talk to her because she works for the company that did this to me." Fred said calmly, but when she didn't get a reaction quick enough, she became much more insistent, "Please, I'll come back another time, I promise."

"Okay, just try and calm down sweetheart." Marisella said softly as she held Fred's hand and turned to Lilah, "Well, I think it's best we go now. We can come back in the blink of an eye, so once Fred has calmed down, we will be back. I really do need to talk to the two of you together very soon."

"I understand." Lilah said, but didn't really mean, "I hope everything is okay Fred. I'm not sure what Eve said that got her so upset, but I hope you know I was not part of anything Wolfram & Hart might have done to you, but I'm going to find out who did and why."

"I'm not mad at you Lilah, but I just need to go back home for now. I'll call you later." Fred said abruptly and then managed a smile for Lilah, "I'm really happy we found each other. I know we'll have more time to talk soon."

"Good, I look forward to it." Lilah said with a smile as she gave her sister a warm hug.

Marisella savored the sight of her two daughters embracing and new at that moment that everything was going to work out just the way it was meant to. After a quick goodbye between Marisella and Lilah, Marisella held onto Fred's hand and within seconds a portal was opened and the two women jumped through it and disappeared from sight.

Kate sat Eve down in a chair and walked into the living room to find Lilah and was surprised to see her standing alone, "Hi, I thought I'd be interrupting your reunion."  
"Fred needed to get back home so they just left a couple seconds ago." Lilah said, looking over at the empty seat, "Is everything okay with Eve? It seems like her and Fred had some kind of falling out."

Kate laughed, "She wants to leave as well. Must be something in the air. Anyway, I really wanted to spend some time with you, but it seems I'll be on the move very soon. Maybe we can have dinner when I get back. I shouldn't be more than a day or two."

"That sounds good. I could use a night out." Lilah sighed as she took a step towards Kate, "As much as I'd like to keep things light here, I have to ask if you know anything about why Fred is so upset? What exactly did Eve do that involved Wolfram & Hart?"

"Lilah, I can't discuss that right now. I have to report back to Buffy and give her the information first. You know that." Kate said shaking her head, but turned back to Lilah, "But, I will say that it's very likely that Buffy, Fred and many others already know what Wolfram & Hart wanted with Fred. Not that I'm saying anything you don't know, but if you think about this a bit and think about who was just here and the connection you and

Fred have to her, perhaps the reason will be quite clear."

After processing what Kate just told her, Lilah's eyes lit up, "You mean they knew Fred was related to Marisella? I need to find out what kind of tests they did on her and if any of them could have serious consequences. I don't trust Wolfram & Hart and if there is a way they could use Fred in the future, they'd take it. Thanks for reminder."

"Glad to help." Kate said with a smile just as Eve walked into the room.

"Is it okay if we get going?" Eve asked Kate and then turned to Lilah, "Hi Lilah. Does Fred know you work for Wolfram & Hart?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I don't work for them anymore." Lilah snapped, not thrilled with Eve's accusatory tone.

Eve took a step back, puzzled by Lilah's rather angry reaction and by her response, "Oh, I thought you did. Anyway, if you see Fred, tell her I'm sorry and that I'll do whatever it takes to make this up to her."

Kate stepped in and guided Eve to the door, "Well, I guess it's time to go, but I promise to look you up when I get back to LA. I want you to know that I'm so happy you have Gwen back in your life and now a sister and a mother, it's quite a special day for you."

"Yes it is and yet here I am, all alone again." Lilah laughed, "I sure hope this is just the exception and not the rule with my newfound family." 

"I'm sure it's not. Once everyone gets used to everyone, I bet you end up together all the time."

"Thanks for saying that." Lilah said as she walked Kate to the door, "I almost miss Angel so you know things must be bad."

"I hate to leave you alone like this, but I'll give you a call tonight and we can talk if you want." Kate said as she tried to gauge Lilah's interest.

Lilah smiled and gently touched her arm, "I'd like that whether I was alone or not."

"Good, you can expect a call from me later on tonight." Kate said as Eve stood impatiently tapping her foot and looking at her watch.

"Well, I better let you go. I'm sure Gwen will be back soon and I'll spend a lot of time trying to get through to her. You have a safe trip." Lilah said as she waved goodbye and watched Kate walk slowly away, her hips swaying sexily from side to side in her tight fitting jeans.

Kate turned to wave back at Lilah and was happy to see her eyes following her so closely. She slid in the back of the limo and ordered the driver back to the airport and she sat back, closed her eyes and thought of all the things she'd like to be doing with Lilah at this very moment.

** End of Chapter 43**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**.

**The Summers' Home.  
**

Buffy and Dawn returned from their rare moment of sisterly bonding to find Fred, Marisella and their mom sitting outside talking.

"Hi there you two." Joyce said as she got to her feet and gave her daughters a big hug.

"Hi mom." Dawn said as she looked over and waved at Fred and Marisella.

"Hi Buffy, could I talk to you for a minute, inside." Fred said softly, trying her best to smile.

"Sure." Buffy said with a nod and then walked inside with Fred.

Fred led Buffy back into the kitchen and then looked around and decided upstairs would be more private and ran up the stairs with Buffy right behind her.

Once at the top of the stairs, Fred walked into Buffy's bedroom and closed the door behind her, "Okay, now that I'm here I feel kind of silly because I don't even know if I should be telling you any of this."

"Okay, but something must be on your mind. You're acting a bit strange don't ya think?" Buffy asked with a grin.

"I guess so." Fred acknowledged with a sigh and then sat down on the edge of the bed, "I just had this conversation with this girl I used to know. She told me some things that were really unbelievable and awful and I don't know what to do."

"I'm sorry. How can I help?" Buffy asked as she sat down beside Fred.

"I don't know." Fred said, unsure what to do next, "I'm not sure you can, but I just needed to talk to someone about all this. It wouldn't hurt so much if I didn't still care about her, but I do. Is that crazy?"

Buffy laughed, then quickly stopped as she saw Fred staring back at her, "I'm sure it's not crazy, but since I don't know what this person said or did to you, I'm not quite sure what to say."  
Fred filled Buffy in on the whole situation with Eve and then stood and waited for her response.

"Well, I don't know if that helped, because I still don't know much about this Eve person. It sounds horrible what she did and if she's truly evil then maybe you are better without her in your life." Buffy said, trying to console Fred as best she could.

"That's just it, I don't know if she is all bad." Fred fell back on the bed, looking back up at Buffy, "I think she was always a bit of a manipulator, but she wasn't like that with me. I did feel like she was sincere when she apologized and owned up to all this. Which is another thing, she didn't have to tell me any of this. She wanted to. I think maybe she's changed, but then again, what if I just hope she has because I want her still? I wish there was some way to find out if she's changed or not."

"What did you have in mind?" Buffy asked, laying down beside Fred.

"Oh, I don't know. It can't be bad. Maybe this Kate person has the answers. She did find her in Texas and spent some time with her. Yes, that's what I need to do, talk to her." Fred said excitedly, "I need to go back to LA."

"Hold on Fred." Buffy said, grabbing her arm as she tried to leave the room, "Kate is on her way here. She should be here in a couple hours."

"Really? That's great." Fred said excitedly and gave Buffy a big hug.

Buffy held on as Fred spun her around the room, but the fun and laughter came to a quick halt as Fred tripped over Buffy's foot and the two of them went crashing to the floor.

Fred landed on top of Buffy and was embarrassed and mortified at what she'd done. Leaning down to see if Buffy was still breathing, Fred was relieved that she was, but before she could enjoy the feeling Buffy had spun her around and straddled her, resting comfortably over her stomach.

"Why did you do that?" Fred asked, not sure what to make of Buffy's new found position looking down at her.

"I just felt the urge to." Buffy said as she held Fred's arms just above her head and smiled at her, "You really need to learn how to dance. You could hurt someone with those feet of yours."

"I know, I'm such a klutz sometimes." Fred said, turning her head as she let out another cute embarrassed laugh, "I hope I didn't hurt you. Somehow I don't think I do though."

Buffy slid her hands down Fred's arms and down to her waist, then slid them up over her blouse, looked into her eyes and soon noticed herself getting the slightest bit aroused as she looked down at Fred's small breasts.

Fred had her hands free, but made no attempt to move, choosing to lie back and see what Buffy was going to do next.

"You're just so pretty." Buffy said softly.

"Thank you." Fred whispered, smiling back at Buffy, "So are you.".

Buffy took one more look at Fred's sexy mouth and couldn't control herself any longer. She dove down and began kissing Fred hard and deep. Fred responded instantly and wrapped her arms around Buffy and held her tight.

Fred pulled back from the kiss and stared at Buffy for the longest time, not saying a word, just taking in all her beauty. Finally, she pulled herself to a sitting position and took Buffy's hands in hers, "I probably shouldn't be doing this. It feels so good to kiss you and hold you and I just feel like maybe it's not what you want."

"I don't know how you can say that the way I was kissing you." Buffy said as she tried to kiss Fred again, but felt Fred pull away again. "You had to feel it was all real and I was so into it. I still am if you'd just close that pretty mouth of yours and start kissing me again."

"I just don't want this to be some reaction to what I found out about Eve and if I'm not mistaken, I could've sworn you and Faith had something going. Am I wrong?" Fred asked, noticing Buffy's eyes light up at the mention of Faith's name.

"Faith is a friend. Yes, she's a good friend and we have this amazing chemistry, but something is always getting in the way." Buffy sat up and let out a sigh as she felt the moment was slipping away, "But, I feel things for you to. I can't believe it really, but Faith sensed there was something between you and me the first time she saw us together. I think that proves we have some chemistry of our own. As for Faith, we work together. She's off helping an old friend and then we'll get back to slaying, but for now, I want to kiss you. You're not afraid of a little kiss are you?"

"Oh that's a loaded question." Fred smiled, "I don't think we were going to stop at just kissing. Do you?"

"Is that so bad?" Buffy asked as she slid closer to Fred and kissed her hand.

Fred smiled, but pulled back yet again, "No, it's not bad at all, but if we are going to regret it the next day, I just don't know if it's worth it.

"I don't want to think about all that right now. I know I wouldn't regret it. That I'm positive about. I'm not cheating on Faith, I'm not." Buffy slid back in beside Fred, putting her arm around her small waist, "Maybe one day we'll get together or maybe not, but right here, right now, sitting beside you, feeling your lips against mine and your hands on my body, I know one thing. I want you and I know you want me to. If you don't, look me in the eyes and tell me and I'll accept it."

Fred sat up, looked Buffy in the eyes and as she struggled to find the words, she knew she couldn't lie and gave in to her passion and practically tackled Buffy as she lunged forward for another kiss.

Buffy didn't mind one bit as she easily balanced Fred as they fell back to the ground, this time Fred was on top looking down at Buffy, pulled off her top, tossed it up on the bed and leaned down and kissed Buffy passionately.

The two girls were locked in a very wet kiss when once again the voice of Buffy's little sister shook them both to their feet.

"Buffy. Buffy. Buffy!" Dawn screamed as she walked up to Buffy's bedroom door and took a look inside.

Fred was putting on her top and Buffy was adjusting her hair as Dawn walked up to her sister, "What is it?" Buffy asked, trying not to look guilty.

"You could at least answer when I'm calling. It's rude not to." Dawn walked past Buffy, looked at Fred and then back at Buffy and her eyes lit up, "OMG, you two were doing it in here weren't you?"

"We were not. Now what do you want?" Buffy demanded as she dragged Dawn back out of her room.

"She's pretty, but you really shouldn't have sex with the doors open or with mom right downstairs or with Fred's mom right downstairs. You have so much to learn." Dawn said calmly, trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh you little brat." Buffy said as she grabbed Dawn and pushed her gently up against the wall, "What do you want?"

"Let go of me." Dawn screamed, causing Sigmund to wake from his slumber to another happy sight.

Poking his head up from inside Dawn's sweater, he came face to face with Buffy's chest, "Wow, what a nice sight to wake up to. You two sure go at it a lot. I like it. So, who was kissing who? I missed that part."

Buffy, Fred and Dawn all looked at Sigmund with the same disgusted look, "Shut up." They all said in unison.

"Hey, that's animal cruelty. I could report you. Bad words hurt you know." Sigmund said with a fake sad pout and quickly cuddled up against Dawn's breasts.

Dawn tapped Sigmund on the head, "Stop that. I said not the boobs. If you do it again I'm sending you back to Wesley or I'll just let Buffy have you.

"No, no, no. No need for that." Sigmund pulled away from Dawn's breasts, "I just misjudged the space and accidentally rubbed against your…I won't do it again. Scout's honor."

Buffy rolled her eyes and leaned in to stare Sigmund in the eyes, "You were never a boy scout you little vermin."

"So, I believe in their code of ethics. Now, I'm going back to sleep, wake me if any of you starts kissing." Sigmund said and then crawled back inside Dawn's sweater and rested against her stomach.

"Enough about Sigmund." Dawn yelled, "I was supposed to come get you two because we have company. So, when you're done making out, maybe you'll come say hi."

"You know you're starting to be as sarcastic as that little pest and I don't like it one bit." Buffy said trying to sound serious, but Dawn just laughed and ran down the stairs, "Hey, I'm talking to you. Damn it, she never listens to me." Buffy whined as she looked back at a laughing Fred, "You think this is funny?"

"Kind of" Fred smirked, "I just love the way you two fight and argue and yet I know you love each other." Fred explained, " I'm an only child so I love watching you interact with Dawn. One minute you're mad as hell and the next you are so sweet and gentle with her. It's nice and it's funny cause she really doesn't listen to you at all."

"I'm glad you find this amusing." Buffy smiled, again moving closer to Fred, "So, I was wondering if you wanted to out later on tonight. Maybe I could teach you how to dance at the Bronze."

"That sounds perfect." Fred sighed, fighting back the urge to kiss Buffy again.

Buffy found it just as hard to keep her lips off Fred's, "Well, I guess we better get downstairs before Dawn starts blabbing about what she thinks she saw up here."

Fred followed Buffy down the stairs and was shocked to see Eve standing in the living room and quickly grabbed Buffy and sat down, "OMG, she's here. How is that possible? What, can she teleport to?"

"Teleport?"

"It's a long story." Fred said as she peered through the railing at Eve, "Why is she here? You don't think she's stalking me do you?"

"You've got quite the imagination on ya." Buffy laughed, "But, I doubt she's stalking you. She must've come with Kate. Anyway, let me go down first and see what's going on."

Fred crept back up the stairs and stopped once she reached the top, "Thanks. I just can't talk to her right now."

Buffy nodded, put on a big smile and walked into the living room to greet Kate and Eve just as her mom slipped out the front door.

**Wolfram & Hart facility just outside Los Angeles.**

Spike paced back and forth as he waited for Glory to show up, checking out the fancy gadgets that lined the walls, shelves and floor of the futuristic looking room.

Glory entered the room with an entourage of lackeys following, as were Ethan, Lindsey, Gwendolyn and an elderly gentleman.

"So, this is Spike." Glory said as she walked in a circle around him, "Hmm, you're much shorter than I expected. But no matter, if you live up to your reputation we should get along just fine."

"I didn't come here to be insulted." Spike sneered, "I've been waiting here long enough. I need to get to work. If this is how slow you people work here, it's no wonder you get nothing accomplished."

"Well, that's what I'm here to talk to you about." Glory said, as she ran her hands over all the shiny things in the room as she continued, "I've had some talks with the senior partners and they feel it's best to go with one plan of attack, so you and these three, oh excuse me, these four, are going to have to work together on this. Since I don't have the time, patience and really don't care one way or the other whether you succeed or fail, you can either kill each other or put a plan together. But, by the end of the day you better have a plan, cause if not, I'll help you out with dying part when I return. I haven't decided who's plan I like the best, but I'll think on that on my way to my meeting. Have fun."

"Wait one second, who the hell is that old man?" Spike asked loudly.

Glory turned to look at the elderly man standing almost out of sight behind her, "Oh, it's really quite rude to forget someone you know Spike, but since it has been almost 20 years since you last spoke with him, please let me reintroduce you to Carlton Edwards III."

With his cane leading the way, the old man moved towards Spike, "I don't blame you for not recognizing me, I'm hardly the same man you used to know so well. But, with this new heart of mine, I feel much younger than I look."

"You look pretty old and decrepit to me. I thought you died." Spike laughed, moving in for a closer look at the Carlton, "After the council found out about your unique method of manipulating Joyce, they fired your ass. Then I heard you dropped off the face of the earth to meditate and change your ways. I see that didn't take."

"All of what you say is true, but the last part is where you get your facts wrong." Carlton said, fuming at Spike's lack of respect, "I did meditate and it did take, as you call it. I'm a changed man on the inside. In time, what you see on the outside will change right along with me."

"So you found the fountain of youth did you old boy?" Spike mocked, highly unimpressed with the man he used to admire for his corrupt ways, "Well I'm really happy for ya, but until you change completely, I don't see you being of much help, so if you don't mind, sit in the corner, take your Geritol, and we'll come up with a plan."

"You always were a smug son of bitch, but that's what I liked about you. Somehow, I don't seem to like it as much now." Carlton said not hiding his displeasure for Spike's attitude.

"I don't much care what you like, just stay out of my way." Spike said, pushing Carlton to the side as he walked up to the other three people in the room, "Okay, let's get to work. Are we gonna try and work this out or should we just get to the killing and let the best man win?"

Gwendolyn stepped up to Spike, "Hello, I'm a woman and I think I can hold my own against a one dimensional vampire, an old man, a paper pusher and a watchers council reject who is nothing when not in demon form, so maybe you should rethink the killing part."

"I do not push papers." Lindsay yelled, trying to sound more important than he really was, "I am a lawyer with more degrees than you have earrings, and I'll have you know, I've done my share of fighting so you shouldn't underestimate me."

"Enough posturing, we are all really, really bad, now, can we get down to business?" Ethan said from his seat to the side of the room.

"Fine, but there's no doubt my plan is going to work." Spike said confidently, "So unless I hear something better, let's just get on with it."

"Well Spike, why don't you share your brilliant plan with us one more time?" Lindsey asked.

"I will. Sit back and take notes." Spike said as he moved to the front of the room, "Okay, my plan is very straight forward. We all know the slayers are the key and the sooner we eliminate them the sooner we can take over Sunnydale, have access to the Hellmouth and in turn, we'll soon have enough demons to easily take over this world."

The room erupted in mock clapping, boos and other assorted insulted hurled towards Spike.

Ethan was the first to actually say something, "That's really nice Spike, but we all know the slayers must die, the hard part is finding a way to do this, without getting killed in the process. So why not tell us how you plan to get rid of the slayers?"

"It's not that hard." Spike added, reveling in his own sense of importance, "I've killed two already…"

Gwendolyn rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Oh enough about that, we've heard it a million times, who cares about something you did hundreds of years ago. Have ya killed any slayers lately? No, so shut up about your past exploits"

"Oh fine, but it's still true. I do know how to take out a slayer. It just involves more skill and precision than any of you can ever dream of possessing. Now, if I can continue." Spike asked and looked around the room for any objections, but when none came, he smiled, "Good. Now, even I'm smart enough to know that taking on two slayers at once is not the answer. It's obvious we need to divide them and conquer. I'm still getting some research into the new slayers, but I have picked up a few interesting tidbits already."

"Then share them and we'll see if we agree." Lindsey said sharply.

"You shut up Lindsey, you're lucky you're still alive." Spike screamed, taking a few steps towards him before laughing and continuing on, "What I've learned is the two slayers share a bond that is impossible to break, or so we've been led to believe. I find that to be very misleading. They are humans, they have weaknesses. It's our job to exploit them. One such weakness is friendship, another is love and let's not forget family. Faith has no family to speak of, but Buffy does. As for friends, we know of a handful of people the slayers have had contact with since they arrived in Sunnydale. Each of them is a possible ally or enemy, depending on whether we can use them or not. As for love, that is an area we know very little. It's also something we need to start learning more about. I propose that we use the resources of Wolfram & Hart and dig into the slayers lives and learn every little detail about them and when we have some information that's useful, we can begin to systematically destroy their lives from the inside. Once they begin having problems with their family, friends and of course their lovers, they will be ripe for killing. Any questions?"

Silence filled the room as they took in everything Spike had just said.   
Moments later Ethan stepped forward, "Well, I must say I'm surprised at the thought you've put into this. I also have to admit I agree with your plan. Count me in."

"I couldn't agree more. This should work." Gwendolyn nodded.

"It was pretty much the same as my plan, so I'm in." Lindsey reluctantly agreed.

Carlton stepped out from the side of the room, "You seem much more prepared than the impulsive man I remember. I to shall support your plan."

Spike stood with a proud smile on his face, "Then it's unanimous. We need to divide the tasks up. I'll look into their love lives. That seems like it could be fun."

"I'll check into their family situations more closely." Ethan said.

"I guess I'll look into their friends." Gwendolyn chipped in.

"What does that leave me or Carlton to do?" Lindsey asked, in his usual impetuous tone.

"There are still other things we need to know. For instance, we need to find out their routines. Find out some habits they have. Things they do that might help us figure out when best to attack. Why don't you look into that?" Spike asked.

"What does that leave for me?" Carlton said as he began to cough.

"Unless you change into a 21 year old's body soon, you can oversee all this on the computers they have here. We can keep in touch and share the information as soon as we get it. If that's okay with you?" Spike asked, not really listening for an answer.

"I suppose that does make the most sense for now." Carlton agreed and shook Spike's hand to seal the deal.

"Let's get to work." Spike said and then led the way out of the room.

**End of Chapter 44**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**.

**Angel's Apartment in Los Angeles.**

Gwen opened he door to her new home and walked inside with Faith. Lilah rushed into the room and put her arms around Gwen and hugged her close. After she felt Gwen in her arms and knew she was okay, Lilah stepped back, and shook her head, "Would you like to explain why you took off like that?"

"I'm sorry okay; I just wasn't ready to deal with your new family. Your real family. I needed some time to think and now I'm back. No big deal." Gwen said, walking past Lilah into the kitchen, stopping at the fridge, she turned and gave Lilah a puzzled look, "Why are you acting like I just committed some huge crime?"

"Listen young lady." Lilah said sternly, then stopped and began laughing. 

Gwen was even more confused and opened the fridge to grab a drink, only to pull out a bottle of blood instead, "OMG, what the hell is this?"  
Faith grabbed the bottle, took a quick look and put it back in the fridge, "Oh it's just some pigs blood I'm guessing. Or one can hope it is. You don't think Angel would have you know, human blood in this do ya?"

"I sure as hell hope not, but since he's only been good for a short time, I wouldn't want to find out. Just put it back." Lilah said, helping Faith put the bottle back in the fridge. "Good, now I think I need to have a talk with Gwen, would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"Lilah, stop that." Gwen yelled, pulling Faith close, "Faith is my guest and she's not going anywhere."

"I tried to do this nicely Gwen, but you are going to have to learn that you don't run the show around here." Lilah said, trying to control her own temper, "Look, I'm not going to lock you up, I just need to talk to you, so would you drop the attitude and sit your butt down in that chair, please."

Faith sensed Gwen was about to explode and tried to defuse the situation, "Listen, I need to call Buffy and see what's going on there and that will give you two a chance to talk." Faith then leaned in and kissed Gwen on the lips, "I'll be back soon."

Gwen began to relax as soon as Faith's soft lips touched hers, but she wasn't about to let Faith get away that easily, so she looked at Lilah, smiled and pulled Faith in for a much longer, very deep, very wet kiss, stopped only because Faith pulled back.

Lilah shook her head at Gwen's rebellious little stunt, "Oh that's really mature Gwen. If you've got your hormones taken care of, can we talk?"

Putting her feet up on the table, Gwen took out her nail file and began filing her nails, "Sure, go ahead. I'm listening."

Faith shrugged her shoulders at Lilah and left the room.

"Okay then, let's get right to the point." Lilah said, and then pushed Gwen's feet off the table and sat down beside her, "You left right after meeting Fred and Marisella, did you not like them? Did something happen that I missed? I just don't get why you had to rush out of here so fast.

"Do we have to do this?" Gwen said with a whiny voice.

Lilah nodded, "Yes, so the sooner you answer the sooner we can move on."

"Fine." Gwen snapped and got to her feet, "I just get out of what amounts to a prison, come home and hope to spend some time with my sister and there you are with a brand new family. Your real family. How do you think I'm gonna feel? It hurt. I know you were happy to find them and I'm trying to be happy for you, but I just don't feel like I fit in anywhere."

"That's not true." Lilah said, leaning in and hugging Gwen tightly, "You're my sister. That is never going to change. Do you not believe this? Is that it?"

"I don't know what to believe." Gwen sighed, "By the way, where are they anyway?"

"Oh, they're back in Sunnydale." Lilah said, needing a moment to remember where they went, "Fred had some issue with a girl and Marisella opened up a portal and they left."

"Nice family, take off after a couple hours seeing you, sound like winners to me." Gwen said, enjoying her little remark way more than she should.

"That's nice Gwen, attack my new family." Lilah said, not hiding her disappoint in her sister, "Well, I don't think this is going anywhere, so maybe we need a good nights sleep and we'll start over in the morning."

"Fine by me." Gwen growled.

Lilah could only watch as Gwen flew past her and ran down the hall. 

Moments later Gwen stepped back into the hallway, "Where the hell do I sleep in this place?"

"If you keep asking like that you can sleep on the floor." Lilah snapped.

Gwen walked back out to where Lilah was standing, "Beats sleeping locked in shackles, so thanks, I think I will." She then turned and yelled out, "Faith. Time for bed."

"Oh no you don't young lady." Lilah said, pausing at how much she sounded like her adopted mother, "You are not sleeping with Faith. That's not gonna happen."

"And you think you can stop me?" Gwen argued.

"If I have to." Lilah said, staring down at Gwen with a very menacing glare, "Could you just take the bed at the end of the all on the right. That's the other spare bedroom and it's already for you."

Gwen lost some of her anger as Lilah lowered her voice, but didn't lose all her aggression, "Where's Faith supposed to sleep?"

"I didn't know Faith would be staying here okay." Lilah said, looking around the apartment for an answer, "She can have the sofa."

"That's real nice Lilah, why don't you take the sofa and let Faith have your bed." Gwen said as belligerently as possible.

"She can have the sofa. I'm sure she won't mind." Lilah replied and then turned and led Gwen down the hall, opened her bedroom door and nudged her inside, "Now, you have a good sleep I'll talk to you in the morning. Goodnight."

"We'll see." Gwen shrugged and then kicked the door close on Lilah's face.

Lilah stepped back, shook her head and walked back into the living room.

Faith came back in from outside and walked over to Lilah, "Where's Gwen?"

"She's in her room." Lilah said calmly.

Checking her watch, Faith was surprised to see what time it is, "Oh, I guess it is late. Time just seems to fly by these days."

"You can stay here if you want. This old sofa doesn't look like much, but it should be okay."

Faith smiled at the offer, "Thanks, but I need to get back to Sunnydale. I just have to tell Gwen first."

"Well, go ahead, she just went into her room and she's way too mad to be asleep yet." Lilah said, pointing down the hall and to the right.

Not sure what she was going to say, Faith took a moment to think before knocking on Gwen's door.

Gwen opened the door wearing nothing but her smile, "I was hoping you'd show up. Come in."

"Well, you do know how to get my attention." Faith grinned, finding it hard to concentrate with the sight of Gwen's naked body so close to her.

"Lilah's just trying to act like my mom and I don't really like it." Gwen said with a disgusted look on he face, "So, why don't you help me show her she's not the boss of me."

"You know I'd love to, but I actually came here to tell you I have to get back to Sunnydale. There's some things going on that I really need to help deal with." Faith said almost apologetically. 

"You can't leave. Not now. I don't want to deal with Lilah on my own. She's so controlling. Can't you wait a couple days?" Gwen asked, sliding her hand up Faith's arm.

"I wish I could, but there's a very real danger heading to Sunnydale and there's no time to waste." Faith said, quickly noting the sad look on Gwen's pretty face, "I'm not leaving for good. I'll be back I promise."

"Fine, I don't want to keep you. Have fun." Gwen said, turning slowly and walking back over to her bed.

"You'll be fine. You probably just need to spend some time with Lilah so you can get used to each other again." Faith said, trying her best to put a good spin on the situation, "Listen, I really hate leaving, especially when you look so sexy, but I don't really have a choice. I'll call and we can work something another time. Okay?"

With her back to Faith, Gwen could show her true disappointment with Faith's decision, but she put on a smile, turned and gave Faith a big hug and did what she thought was best, let Faith go, "Okay, you go and do your super girl monster fighting thing. I'll find something to keep my occupied. I always do."

"I know you'll be fine. You're a strong girl. Well, I better go or I'll get all mushy and we both hate that." Faith laughed, but stopped long enough to give Gwen one last kiss, before turning and rushing out of the room.  
**Headquarters of the Powers Above and Below.**

Harmony followed Darla into the poorly lit room, forging slowly forward through the narrow passage, they made their way into a small circular room. There were mirrors covering the entire room from top to bottom as well as along the circular walls.  
Darla walked forward, pulled out a metallic device and began moving it across the walls. After a couple minutes, a sharp buzzing sound coincided with a small hole appearing in the wall. Putting yet another device into the hole, the wall opened and Darla led Harmony into another, much larger room.

It was filled with people milling around a tall ivory statue of a woman with her hands in the air, trying to grab a ball of light just inches from her grasp. Behind the mass of people were the familiar faces of Alastair and Airlia.

Airlia stood up and waved towards the two women, "Welcome Darla. I'm glad you came. Please, join us on the balcony."

"I'm not alone, could you please invite Harmony as well." Darla said in a politely demanding tone.

"Of course, I didn't mean to exclude her, I assumed you would both come join us." Airlia explained with a smile.

Darla led Harmony through the crowd and up the winding staircase, until they were face to face with Alastair and Airlia.

"I'd like to get right the point." Darla stated firmly, "As much as I hate doing this, I feel it's the only way to have any peace in my life and that's why I want to hear what you have to say about Harmony and I want you to say it to her face and not behind her back like you seem to enjoy so much."

Harmony's eyes lit up at Darla's revelation, "What are you talking about?"

"It's okay, you have nothing to worry about. My two friends, or should I say my bosses, seem to believe you could become a threat to me and I want to prove to them that they are crazy." Darla said proudly as she took Harmony's hands, "Listen, I believe you in you 100 and I know this probably seems silly, strange and probably a bit insulting, but I am doing this because they need to know what I do, that you are not who they think you are."

Backing off from Darla, Harmony turned and stood silent for the longest time. 

Darla walked over and stood in front of her, "What's wrong? You have nothing to be nervous about. This will all be over before you know it."

"I don't think so." Harmony said, her voice changing from babbling to very serious, "I don't believe they will ever trust me or anyone you are with. It's seems like they want to keep you from falling in love and this is how they'll do it. I think they've probably already created some silly plot about me. I don't trust these two at all. I'm not sure why you do."

For the first time since she'd met Harmony, this was the first time she'd ever talked so clearly and with so much conviction, both were surprising to Darla, "Um, I trust them because of who they are and what they do. I've never really told you what my purpose was in the fight against evil, but we work differently than the slayers and the Watchers Council. I was chosen when I was only 6 to be part of this. The powers sensed something in me and after passing numerous tests, I was given the ability few humans ever have. I can't explain it more until you are cleared by Airlia and Alastair, but once you are, I can tell you everything and we can be together without worrying about a thing. Isn't that what you want?"

"Of course it is, but I don't trust these two. I think if you continue to work for them, you are going to be on the wrong side of what's coming." Harmony added, looking right at Airlia as she spoke.

Darla stood speechless at how calm, rational and coherent Harmony had suddenly become and didn't like it one bit, "Okay, what's with you all of sudden? Where's Harmony and who the hell are you?"

It was Harmony's turn to share a little secret now, "Oh Darla, I'm the same girl you've always known, but underneath my ditzy exterior there's a real person with real thoughts and real opinions and even though I love to just be carefree and silly around others, I have another purpose as well."

Airlia and Alastair looked at each other with surprise and caution as Harmony transformed into an intelligent young woman before their eyes.

"I never thought you were ditzy, I thought you were sweet, caring and loveable and most of all real." Darla continued to look at Harmony as if she were a stranger, "Now, I find out it was all an act? So you felt you couldn't share the real you with me? This is not what people do when they're in love. I can't believe you played me for a fool."

"No, no, no, that's not it." Harmony shouted, moving closer to Darla, took hold of both her hands and looked deep into her eyes, "You need to listen to me right now. I am the same person you fell in love with. I wasn't hiding things from you, I was hiding them from them." She said as she pointed to Alastair and Airlia.

"Darla, it is obvious you've been deceived by this woman, we all have." Alastair said, clearly annoyed by Harmony's accusations, "You know what must be done."

"Wait." Darla yelled at Alastair, "All of sudden I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on. Now, could you two give me a couple minutes alone with Harmony please?"

Airlia walked slowly up to Darla, her eyes full of anger, "You can have your time with her, but our decision will not change. She is not welcome in your life or in our family."

Darla waited for Airlia and Alastair to leave the room and then watched them walk past the crowd of people before turning to Harmony with a look of disbelief on her face, "Well, who's the dumb blonde now?"

Harmony stood in shock at Darla's comment, "Oh that's real nice Darla. Is that how you saw me? A dumb blonde?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, I'm just confused. I have never thought you were dumb ever. Okay? I promise you that." Darla said, doing her best to reassure Harmony before continuing, "But, you have some explaining to do, so why don't you tell me how you seem to know so much about Airlia and Alastair?"

"I wanted to tell you about this, but I had no idea you were bringing me here." Harmony said, changing from upset to apologetic in a flash. Just as soon she changed to very serious as she noticed the crowd below begin to disperse in a hurry. "I wish I'd have known before hand. I think we're in danger now."

"Why do you say that?" Darla asked, but quickly followed Harmony's finger and looked at the commotion down below, "What is going on? What do you know?"

Looking around the dimly lit room, Harmony began to feel very uneasy, "There's no time to explain, but I believe Airlia and Alastair have switched their loyalty, if they ever had any to begin with, to someone you know as Ethan Rayne."

"What? They would never side with such a despicable person. How do you know this? Why would they?" Darla asked, still in a daze as to what was going on.

Harmony kept her eyes on the room below as armed guards began filing in, "I can explain this to you later, but as you can see, we are not going to get out of here without a fight."

"Oh Harmony, I can get us out of here, but I just want to give them a chance to explain this." Darla said calmly and then put her hand on Harmony's shoulder, "You stay here. I'm going down to talk to them. They won't hurt me."

"Yes they will. You're a threat now." Harmony grabbed Darla by the arm and pointed down below, "Do you think those armed guards down there are for show? No, they know they've been exposed and only your death will keep their secret and I'm not gonna let you die."

"Harmony, it's sweet that you want to help, but I'm in no danger from them. There's still so much about me I need to tell you about, and I will. I can see that all these secrets have done nothing but cause trouble for us. Please, just stay here and take this." Darla said, as she gave Harmony a shiny metal box. "Open it up. If anyone comes near you, just flip that switch and you will be safe. Okay?"

"I don't want to be safe, I want to help you." Harmony said, grabbing Darla's arm as she tried to walk away, "I'm not the same Harmony you fell in love with, I've changed and it's time you saw some of those changes in action." Opening her purse, Harmony pulled out her own device, "You need to listen to this."

Pushing a button on the device, the voices of Alastair and Airlia became clear.

**End of Chapter 45**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

**Buffy's house.**

Buffy stood at the doorway welcoming Kate and meeting Eve. They slowly made their way into the living room when the doorbell went off yet again. Opening the front door, Buffy saw two very somber looking faces staring back at her, "Okay, what's the bad news this time?"

Giles and the mayor followed Buffy inside and they walked past the living room and into the kitchen.  
Watching as the two men exchanged looks while saying nothing, Buffy clapped her hands together rather loudly and stared at the two men, "Time is ticking, if something is wrong I need to know about it now, not after your hour long silence."

"Yes, of course." Giles said as he stepped forward, handing Buffy a folder, "Inside you will see first hand what the threat is. It appears the Deparis race is not going to rest until they kill Marisella and have sent a fleet the size which nobody can fathom to finish the job."

"Oh god, well what are we supposed to?" Buffy asked as she looked through the folder.

The mayor's expression was still mighty grim as he tried to answer Buffy's question, "We don't have many options right now. Aside from giving them what they are coming for, we have no choice but to try and fight them off, but this is bigger than Sunnydale, this will be a world wide issue in less than a month. I'm talking World War 3 here, with no way of knowing how we'll stack up with some demon warship."

"Why does it seem like neither of you is too surprised by this?" Buffy said, not at all pleased as they both avoided eye contact with her, "Oh this is great. You better get me up to speed on whatever you haven't told me. This is no time for secrets."

Giles looked at the Mayor, but quickly turned his attention to Buffy, "You're right Buffy, but there's no way we could've predicted the enormity of the Deparis army. We did know this was a possibility, but considering Marisella has been on earth for over a 100 years, the threat of an attack seemed less likely as the years past. Perhaps we dropped the ball on this, but that's not going to matter if there's nobody alive after this attack."

"Just why on earth would they go through all this trouble, wait 100's of years just to go after one woman? There's more to this isn't there? What haven't you told me about Marisella's connection to the Deparis race? Do not leave anything out." Buffy demanded.

"Okay, but you better sit down; this is going to take a while." Giles said, pulling out a huge pile of folders from his briefcase and sat them on the table, "Are Marisella and Fred here? Marisella can answer some questions than nobody else can. When we're done, I suggest you pay a visit to Riley Finn, there's a good chance he knows more about the Deparis race than he's led on."

Buffy shook her head in disbelief at how little she knew about their current situation, "I'll tell you one thing, if I find out this all could've been avoided, just by telling me all the information or by working with Riley and not being so childish about all this, someone is going to pay. The idea that Dawn is at risk because of this petty bickering makes me so mad. I'm not very nice when I'm mad, so I think I need you two to leave. Maybe bring me Riley and we can have a nice long chat about what really went on all those years ago with these two races."

"I think it's best if we stay and help you understand all this." The mayor added.

"I think it's best you go find me Riley. I don't seem to be making myself clear." Buffy said with a look of anger that neither man could miss.

Giles walked over and stood in front of Buffy, "We'll go for now, but you can't let your anger cloud your judgment. We are still your superiors. We made a mistake, but we are here to make it right. Believe it or not we can still be very helpful to you and Faith."

Buffy flipped through some of the folders before lifting her head up towards Giles, "Maybe you can be helpful, but right now it would be more helpful if you left so I can have some time to read all this and clear my head."

Giles and the mayor took the hint and walked back through the hallway, nodded at everyone in the living room and walked out the front door. They practically ran into Wesley, Xander and Andrew as they walked up the front steps.

"Who's the new guy?" Giles asked, looking Andrew over.

Xander laughed, "Oh, he's just some nut who was living in Ethan Rayne's attic."

"I am not a nut." Andrew declared boldly, "I was hand picked by Ethan Rayne to be the leader of the Horde."

"As far as I can tell, he's a leader in name only." Wesley added, "Obviously he's the fall guy should the Horde be discovered. What I believe is more likely to be true, is the Horde is nothing more than a smoke screen for something much bigger."

"Yes, I couldn't agree more." The mayor said as he studied Andrew closer, "Didn't you used to go to Sunnydale high?"

"Wow, you remember me." Andrew said with a big smile, "I worked on your campaign last year as part of a school project. I had high hopes for a career in politics, but Ethan said I had an even bigger role to play in this world."

The Mayor smiled at Andrew, "Why don't you go inside and talk to Buffy about everything Ethan told you and everything you learned about Ethan. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear all about your adventures."

Andrew's eyes grew wide, "She's the slayer Ethan talked about. But, there are two, where's Faith? I'd love to meet them; I have so much experience I could share. Do they have a watcher? I could be their watcher? Ethan told me all about the Watcher's Council."

Wesley rolled his eyes and led Andrew inside, "Let's just wait and see if Buffy is ready to talk to you or not."

Fred waited for Wesley, Andrew and Xander to walk past the stairs and go into the kitchen before she slowly made her way downstairs. Moving up against the wall, she peaked into the living room until she saw Eve sitting quietly in the corner as Kate entertained Dawn with stories of her life as a PI.

Eve spotted Fred out of the corner of her eye and quickly stood up and excused herself to the bathroom and walked towards Fred. Fred panicked and ran back upstairs. Eve followed soon after.

After searching two bedrooms with no luck, Eve tried to open Buffy's door, but she couldn't as someone was pushing against it.

"Fred, I know it's you. Can we talk please?"  
"I'm not ready yet."

"Then why were you downstairs spying on me?" Eva asked with a grin.

"I was not." Fred denied loudly, "I was just seeing who the guests were."

"Oh, well this guest isn't very happy." Eve said as she put her hand up against door, "I just want to talk. Okay?"

Fred wanted to resist, but she just couldn't, as the sound of Eve's voice still had such a powerful effect on her, "Okay, but I only have a few minutes."

"That's okay, I only need a few." Eve replied quickly as she watched the door open and walked inside.

"Well, here we are again." Fred said softly, "I don't think enough time has passed for anything to change, but if you have something you want to say, I'll listen."

Eve took that as a very good sign, "Good, I just want you to listen. I don't want to repeat everything I said earlier, but I do want to make sure you understand a couple things that I think are very important."

"Okay." Fred said as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I know nothing I can say can change what I did, but I need you to know that I've regretted it ever since. It was horrible and stupid and I can't ever take it back, but I'm so sorry for all of this." Eve said and then sat down on the other side of the bed, "I don't want to make excuses, but after our weekend together, I was confused and I didn't know what I was feeling and I made a really bad decision because of it. I will never forgive myself for any of it. Not just because I let them do tests on you, but because I ran away and didn't have the courage to face you again."

"You should feel bad for that. You have no idea how hard it was for me after you left. I didn't know if you were alive or dead. I just didn't know what to think. I tried to get in touch with your family, but they apparently moved away soon after you disappeared. I spent months in a state of confusion." Fred kept looking at Eve, wondering why she didn't hate her, wondering why she couldn't forget the good times they shared, "Here I thought I'd just found the woman of my dreams. We spend a beautiful weekend together where everything was so perfect and we make love all night long and spend the days just being together. It was a dream and I wonder now just how real it was."

Eve grew angry at Fred's comments, "No, you can hate me and be mad forever, but you can't question our weekend together."

Fred yelled right back, "I can, because after a while your mind plays tricks on you. It's so easy to start wondering about why you left. Once I realized you weren't hurt or worse, what else could I think?"

"Okay, I see that and I can't make up for everything I did in such a short time, but I have to start somewhere." Eve said, trying to smile and lighten the mood a little, "When I came in I was introduced to your mother. I was surprised because I thought I met your mother back in Texas. Did you want to tell me about this?"

"I don't know, there's just so much more going on than just me finding my mother. If you are working with Wolfram & Hart, I won't be telling you anything." Fred said, stepping off of the bed and walking towards the window, "Do you even know what's going on right now?"

"No, I don't." Eve said, sliding off the bed and walking up behind the tall brunette, "Okay, I can see you don't trust me and that's fine, I deserve and I'll earn your trust over time, but for now, can't we talk about something? Anything, something fun and harmless."

Fred could feel Eve pressing up against her back, a feeling she'd once loved so much still had the same affect on her, "I can't even think of anything right now."

"Sure you can." Eve whispered, putting her hands on Fred's shoulders, "Here, this used to relax you before, I bet it still does."

Eve gently began rubbing Fred's shoulders, her soft hands feeling oh so good as they slid up and over the back of her neck. Enjoying the moment just a little too much, Fred turned around to escape Eve's hypnotizing grip, "I think I'm fine now."

"That was fast, but I was just getting started," Eve smiled, moving her hands over the front of Fred's shoulders.

It was hard for Fred to be so close to Eve and not feel the same things she used to feel when she was around Eve, but as good as it felt, it just wasn't the right time, "Eve, please don't." Fred said as she pushed Eve's hands back down to her side, "I can't think straight when you are so close. I never could."

"That's not a bad thing you know. It means you still have feelings for me. It gives me hope." Eve smiled, grabbing Fred's hand and squeezing it gently.

"Good, but let's just take it slow." Fred said as she squeezed Eve's hand and smiled back at her before letting it go.

Eve hid her disappoint well, "Okay, why don't we go downstairs and grab something to eat and we'll see if we can find something to talk about."

"I'm sure we'll be able to talk again once we sit down and relax." Fred said with a smile as she led Eve back downstairs and into the kitchen.

As they got to the bottom of the stairs the doorbell rang. Dawn rushed to answer it. When she opened the door she was happy to see Willow and Cordelia standing in front of her, "Hi, are you here for the big meeting?"

"What meeting?" Willow asked.

"Oh Buffy and some others have been talking in the kitchen all day." Dawn explained as she led the two girls inside, "I think something big is going on."

As Dawn was explaining everything to everyone the doorbell ran again. This time it was Faith at the door.

"Hey, is Buffy around?" Faith said, stepping inside and looking around at everyone.

"Yes, she's in the kitchen." Dawn said as she pointed to her left.

"Thanks." Faith said, squeezing past, Fred, Eve, Cordy and Willow as she made her way into the kitchen.

Buffy's face lit up as soon as she spotted Faith and jumped to her feet to greet her with a big hug, "Oh, I'm so glad you're here. So much is going on and I feel so much better knowing you're here."

"Dawn said she thought something big was going in, I take it she's right?" Faith said as she nodded to Wes, Xander and Andrew.

"Yes, something bigger than we ever thought." Buffy said, pointing to the print out of the warships that were headed towards earth.

Faith looked them over briefly, "This can't be? Can it? How could this demon race amass such a huge army without someone knowing about it?"

"Ethan knew about it." Andrew said rather calmly.

"Who is this?" Buffy asked, staring at Wes as she did.

Wes stepped forward, "We found him above Ethan's hideout. He says his name is Andrew. It's possible he has information that we could, but we haven't had a chance to interrogate him yet."

Buffy turned her attention to Andrew, "So, what do you know about the Deparis race?"

"Only what I heard from Ethan." Andrew said, trying his best to sound important, "He's been in constant contact with someone on their planet for almost a year. They talk over some of kind of video transmission. I think the guy he talks to goes by the name of Therius, or as Ethan used to call him when got mad, dumb ass."

"What is Ethan getting out of this? If they attack earth, he'll die to." Buffy said as she sat down across from Andrew.

"Ethan can survive an attack." Andrew stated boldly, "He's not what you think."

Faith jumped into the discussion, "Then what is he?"

"I'm not sure I should say." Andrew said, showing his nerves for the first time, "Ethan can be a very deadly enemy. I saw him kill numerous employees over the slightest security breeches. If he finds out I talked, there's nothing that would keep him from killing me."

"We are the slayers." Buffy said as she put her arm around Faith, "We can protect you." Just tell us what we need to know."

"Ethan is not afraid of the slayers." Andrew said, then noticed the looks of surprise any everyone's face and was quick to qualify his comment, "Well, he is but only when he's human."  
Everyone in the room looked at each and then back at Andrew.

"He's not human all the time." Andrew added, enjoying all the attention he was getting, "Oh I guess it doesn't matter now. If you are right about those ships coming to earth, I'll probably be dead anyway, so I might as well tell you. Ethan can take the form of a demon the size of a football stadium. His demon form is known as Arcystic."

Once again the room exchanged numerous looks of surprise as they connected Ethan Rayne to the most powerful demon known to exist.

**Sunnydale Park**.

Glory arrived at Sunnydale Park a few minutes late. She spotted Joyce and instantly felt her heart skip a beat and her heart begin to race. After a couple quick breaths to calm her nerves, she walked up to where Joyce was sitting and stood in front of her, "Hello Joyce. Long time no see. I see you got my note. I wasn't sure you'd come."

"Glory, it's good to see you." Joyce said as she got to her feet, "I'm not sure what to say right now. I know I owe you a big apology, but I hope you know that I didn't know about the tapes being fake until recently. You must know they looked very real. I know that doesn't change things, but you have to see I didn't do any of this on some whim. I felt I had very good reasons for it. I'm not saying this right, I'm not trying rationalize it, I'm trying to explain it."

"Oh I know all about the tapes." Glory said with a nod as she took a good long look at Joyce, "I can see how you could think what you did. I can see how real they looked. What I can't see and what I'll never understand is why you never let me explain. I know when you first asked about this I was caught off guard. I was angry that you could think any of those things were true. I felt like everything we'd been through together would prove to you that I would never do those things. I was wrong."

"I don't know what more you want." Joyce I can say sorry until I'm blue in the face, but I can never change what happened to you. I just can't. I wish I could. I wish I could do all this over again, but again, I can't. I just want to know what you want from me? Do you have revenge on your mind? I know you've been working at Wolfram & Hart and that doesn't make me feel very hopeful at all. Whatever you want to do, I just want to get this out in the open."

"Isn't that nice, you want this to just be over. It's not that easy for me Joyce. You'll never know what this did to me." Glory said, her voice full of dozens of conflicting emotions. Emotions she wasn't supposed to have, "Do you have any idea what it's like to open yourself up for the first time in your life and then have the one person you've ever loved turn on you so completely? I don't think you have a clue how much this hurt. How much damage this did. I was taught not to feel things when I was dealing with you humans. I did that all my life, until I met you. Then it all changed. I even fought it. I did. I tried not to care about you. I just wanted to observe at first. But, you made that impossible because of the way you treated me."  
Joyce couldn't stand to see the look on Glory's face or he pain in her voice, "I'm so sorry. I know I should've given you the benefit of the doubt. I don't know how much I hurt you, but I do have some idea of the pain I caused you. I can imagine what it must've been like to feel betrayed by someone you loved. I can only say I'm sorry. I know it's not enough. I know it doesn't change what you went through, but I mean it. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry for everything."

"I know you are. I can feel it in your words and I can even see it in your eyes and it does help a little. I just don't know if it's enough." Glory said as she turned away from Joyce and pulled out something from her purse, "Do you know what this is?"

Joyce took a closer look at the device and shook her head, "No, I have no idea what it is."

"It's a homing device." Glory smiled, holding up the small circular object, "I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but the battle you waged as a slayer and the one your daughter is waging now, it's soon going to be over."

"I don't know what you're saying right now, but it sounds like a threat." Joyce said, staring at the odd looking device, "I'm not going to jump to conclusions this time, but I do want you to explain that to me."

"It's simple Joyce, the slayers biggest threat is no longer vamps or the odd demon that pops up through the hellmouth." Glory explained, moving closer to the woman she'd once loved so deeply, "We have a much more serious threat on our hands and I don't know if the slayers, vamps, demons or even gods will be able to stop it."

"Would you please just get to the part where you tell me what this is threat is?"

Glory shook her head, more than a little taken back at how little Joyce really knew about the impending attack, "I'm surprised Giles or Richard doesn't know about this already, but maybe they do and haven't told anyone, but there is a fleet of Deparis ships on their way to earth. It seems as though they were not pleased that their last scouting mission was unsuccessful. Who knew what lengths they would go to eliminate Marisella. What none of us seemed to realize was the size of the Deparis race. Our estimates suggest there are over a half million ships on their way. That's just the ones we can see on our long range scanners. There could be more."

"Okay, I've been on the mend for quite a few months and I only know a little bit about Marisella and her people. Why would anyone send an army to take out one person?" Joyce asked, trying to make sense out of everything she'd just heard.

"We're still looking into this. I don't want to talk about that anymore." Glory said, her eyes meeting Joyce's as she took a couple steps towards her, "I came here because all this talk of this impending battle that could destroy earth has made me think about my own mortality for the first time. It's strange really, but I never respected time before. I had no concept of it. Even being locked up for 15 years, it didn't matter in the end, I knew I would live forever. But now, I wonder about things that I might not get to do. What would I miss if this world did end? The first thing that came to mind was you."

Joyce smiled at Glory's revelation, "I don't know what to say. That's just so sweet. It's so nice to hear you talk like that. It shows me that you haven't changed that much. Not really. The woman I fell in love with is still there inside you. That gives me hope."

"You know, I tried so hard to hate you. I did. I wanted to. I thought I should." Glory continued to move closer to Joyce, smiling for the first time as she stopped in front of her, "I couldn't understand why I still cared about you after everything you did. You betrayed me, unintentionally or not, you still did. And yet I couldn't stop thinking of you. I couldn't stop loving you. That's when I knew how powerful love was."

"Yes it is. It's amazing." Joyce agreed, smiling back at Glory, wanting to reach out and touch her, but holding back for the moment, "I wish I knew what you were thinking right now, because I want to say things, but I don't want to put any pressure on you."

"Say what you have to Joyce. There's no point in keeping things in any longer." Glory added, her smile fading slight as she waited for Joyce to continue.

"Okay then." Joyce said, letting out a deep sigh, "I just wanted to tell you that nothing in my life has hurt as much as when I banished you. I know that sounds so crazy, but it's true. I felt like my life was over. I didn't want to go on without you. I also knew I still had a job to do. I threw myself into my work so I could try and get through that part of my life. But, you weren't around to see my cry myself to sleep every night. You weren't around to see me talking to you at night as lie in bed. I never stopped thinking of you. Even after I thought you did the most unspeakable things. I couldn't just turn off my feelings. Anyway, that's all in the past, but the one constant is I never stopped loving you either. I knew we could never be together, but I never regretted one second of the time we spent together and I treasure those memories still today. Now, with everything I know, I would like nothing better than to forget the past and just start over. If you want to that is."

"Of course I want to, but I have to tell you some things first." Glory said, ready to make things right. "I know trust is a big deal with you and I can see why, so I need to let you know some things before we do anything." 

"I'm ready to listen." Joyce said, turning to sit on the park bench to her left.

**End of Chapter 46**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

**Riley's Lab**

Riley sat at his desk looking over the file marked Deparis, sorting through dozens of subfolders until he came across the one he wanted, "Marisella, the Assassin of Glascoph."

He read over the information one more time, the same thing he'd been doing once a week since Actri, the captured Deparis demon, told him the real story of the Deparis/Glascoph feud.

Needing a visual to go with his reading, Riley got up, walked over to an enormous shelving unit, looked back at the ID number of the folder and picked out the matching video and put it in the VCR.

Sitting back down, Riley put his feet up on his desk and hit the play button. 

Before the tape had begun, Riley was interrupted.

Angel stepped in front of the TV and smiled, "So, I heard you ran a pretty secure operation, but since I'm standing here in front of you with little ease, I have to wonder if you've just gotten lazy or perhaps you aren't so special after all."

Riley didn't move from his chair, but did reach down and push a button on his desk, "I guess you're the infamous Angelus…"

"It's Angel now."

"Right. Angel." Riley said with little conviction, "I'm told you've switched sides. I have to say, I'm not overly impressed. I always felt you were more useful as Angelus. He showed so much more potential than your average vamp. I feel like I was robbed of meeting someone I think was an extraordinary example of one individual being light years ahead of others in his field of expertise. Not that I approve of your killing, but you did set yourself above the rest in so many ways. I can't believe the goody two shoes version is going to be quite the same."

"I don't really care what you believe." Angel said as moved towards Riley, stopping at his desk to pick up the file that was in front of him, "I should've known you'd have information about this new threat. I heard you liked to work outside the boundaries of the Watchers Council. I admire that. What do you know about this feud and why Marisella is such a huge target of the Deparis demons?"

"I was just about to watch a tape on that very topic. Have a seat." Riley said as he pulled one out from behind him and kicked it to the other side of the desk, "This is part of an interview I did with one of the military leaders of the Deparis race. It explains why they want Marisella, but he doesn't explain why she did what she did."

Angel grabbed the chair, moved it across the room so he could keep an eye on Riley and then motioned for him to start the tape.

**Tape Begins**

Riley paced back and forth in front of Actri, "Okay, let's get back to why you were willing to risk death just to kill Marisella. You destroyed her planet and her people and yet you still hunt her hundreds of years later, why?"

"Marisella needs to die. That is all that matters." Actri stated calmly.

"Maybe to you, but I need more details. The sooner you tell me the sooner you can leave."

"I have no desire to leave. I failed in my mission." Actri shouted, "I will simply kill myself as soon as you release me."

"Whatever, if you have such a strong desire to fall on your sword over this, you might as well tell me the whole story before you do." Riley said, trying to use logic the soldier might relate to.

Pausing to think over Riley's suggestion, "Since I don't believe it will help, I will tell you why Marisella is marked for death and as we speak there's a fleet of ships you humans have never witnesses, heading this way to finally finish a job that must be completed in order to restore honor to our people."

Riley nodded, wondering how much was true and how much an exaggeration for affect, "I see, so tell me what she did that was so bad."

Actri stared back at Riley and with anger in his eyes he replied, "She killed our leader."

"I'm having a hard time believing Marisella could or would do this." Riley laughed, "You are a military power. You obviously take great pride in your security, so how did Marisella not only get in your planet, infiltrate your inner circle and kill your leader? Where were you, out golfing?"

"Golfing? Is that a human insult?" Actri asked, both confused and annoyed, "I am ashamed at how this happened and how I didn't see it coming and could not prevent it."

"Tell me how she did it?"

"As you may or may not know, the Glascoph's possess the skill of morphing. They can change their molecular structure into most any other object, living or not." Actri explained, almost impressed by the skill she possessed, "Marisella got aboard one of our scouting vessels. It's believed she morphed into one our troops, climbed inside and then hid in the storage facility until the ship landed."

"Okay, but from what I heard it was very hard for any Glascoph to be in a morphed state for more than 30 minutes at a time." Riley questioned, looking down at his notes. "If I'm not mistaken, it's a three hour flight from your planet to theirs. How could she remain morphed? If she did turn back to her regular form, why didn't your censors pick it up?"  
"These are questions we've spent years trying to answer." Actri explained, "Without talking to Marisella personally, we can only guess as to what she did."

"Just tell me how you think she did all this."

"Once on our planet we believe she morphed into numerous different things before finding her way to our leader's chamber. Once inside she changed back into her normal form and made a small speech to our leader before shooting him in the head, killing him instantly."

Riley felt like he was making some progress, but still needed more answers, "Now we know how she did it, care to tell me why?"

"That's not important." Actri said bluntly, "She killed our leader and she must die. It's the law and she is well aware of it. It's a shame she took the cowardly way out, because now she's putting your people at risk."

"Let's get back to the why for a second. I want to know what made Marisella want to kill your leader. From what we know, the Glascoph's were not a military force, in fact they were the opposite, choosing science, exploration, research and defense as their main goals. I don't believe they would start a war with your people without a reason. So just tell me why so we can move on."

"I guess it doesn't matter now, our forces are already on their way and by the time you hear this it will be too late to stop your certain death." Actri said proudly, "Our two planets were involved in a century long battle of diplomacy. At first we were at odds over the air space above and around our planets. As we both expanded we began to fight over the different resources on the neighboring planets. It soon became more than just a battle of words, as they were simply more proficient at finding, gathering and removing the wealth of resources than we were."

Riley began to see where the problems began, "Let me guess, since you didn't think you could win the battle, you chose to use force to get your way?"

"No, we did everything by the rules. When we found a new planet we then set up a military base around it. Keeping the Glascoph's from even landing on it. This was within our rights, in an agreement both our people signed years earlier." Actri added, making sure to point that out.

"Okay, so what went wrong?"

"As you know, the Glascoph's are very intelligent and creative race. They soon began sending out hundreds of scouting ships, laying claim to most every planet in the system. With no resources of our own, we had to bargain with the Glascoph's for everything we needed. Spending all of our credits on things we should've been mining on our own. Our economy took a huge hit and for about 500 years the Glascoph's were in control of everything."

"Interesting, but let's get to the part where things changed into war."

"About 100 years ago we found a worm hole near the northern quadrant of our system. We sent a couple vessels through it and found a whole new world at our disposal. Much weaker planets." Actri said, remembering back when things were so good, "Eventually we took over the moderately skilled planets and began building up our own resources, while still buying as much as we could from the Glascoph's. Not because we needed them, but to deprive them of the resources. We knew at some point they would run out. We did not believe they had sufficient resources to survive for another 100 years. Along the way, we found a group of planets that were even more advanced than we were, we set up some trade routes, exchanged information and resources and soon had them begin building some warships for us. In exchange, we helped them with military weapons and training."

Riley continued to walk in a circle around Actri, "It seems to me like you were planning for an attack long before Marisella did a thing."

"Perhaps we were, but we are a proud people and we could not stand being at the mercy of the Glascoph's." Actri stated with distain, "Eventually we amassed a fleet of ships that literally took up half the solar system we were in. With the technological advances we kept making, our ships became stronger, bigger and faster. We also knew the Glascoph's had a small fleet of ships, none that could compare to ours though. Then about 20 years ago, we took a small fleet of our new ships and moved into Glascoph air space. We were met with something we had not expected. A force field that we could not penetrate covering a huge portion of their planet and surrounding area. We didn't want to fire any weapons as that would break the treaty, so we did some tests on the force field and returned home."

"I am honestly fascinated by all this, but if we could just speed this up a bit that would be great."

"You can't speed up history." Actri growled, shifting in his seat as he glared at Riley, "What took place with our two races was not something that happened overnight. It was a long process of minor disputes that eventually led to a major falling out." Actri explained, "What we didn't know at the time, was that the Glascoph's had found another even larger planet to inhabit. They used the force field to keep us from spying on them and it gave them a huge edge in our bitter feud. It was about 10 years ago that we spotted and captured one of their scouting vessels. Our interrogation of the crew got us nowhere, but our examination of their ship led us to believe they were 100 times more advanced than we ever knew about. They had intricate maps of our cities, blueprints of our most secure buildings and pages and pages of data on everyone in our entire race, including those on the other side of the wormhole."

Riley found the story of these two races to be beyond fascinating, growing more intrigued by the minute at the history of these two races, "Obviously they had people on the inside to have that kind of in depth analysis."

"No, it turns out they had sent scouts into our cities, where they would morph into our own people, and over the course of a 100 years, gained more knowledge about us than we ever knew about them." Actri recounted, remembering the moment with great pride, "Once we found their spy ship as we called it, that's what we used to launch our first offensive. It was within our rights and we gathered our forces and attacked the Glascoph's."

"We know you destroyed their planet, but what really happened?" Riley asked, unclear about so much of this.

"Only a handful of Glascoph's stayed on the planet, but with the ability to morph into anything, they were incredibly hard to find and kill. They also had numerous security stations setup, cloaked and invisible to our radar, that took out more than half our fleet and half our ground troops. While we took weeks to find and kill the few Glascoph's that were left. When we found their leader, Millicent, it was decided we'd be better off keeping her alive. We still have her on our planet. She just won't talk and continually morphs into anything, so as to weaken herself enough to die. We have prevented this and had hoped to use her as a negotiating tool, but the Glascoph's were gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Riley asked, his eyes growing wide as he tried to grasp everything he was hearing, "You said you knew they had moved to another planet."

"Yes, but we didn't know where." Actri added with a shrug, "According to our information, there was no way out of their solar system, it was a black hole of emptiness. We knew this was a problem. The element of surprise was in their hands. After we attacked their planet, that's when Marisella killed our leader."

"Again, is that not within her rights?"

"Yes, but once we were at war, we declared the treaty invalid." Actri declared bodly, "Our goal is to kill Marisella and then prepare for a battle with the Glascoph's that we know is coming."

"So why take your whole fleet to earth to for just one target?"

Actri laughed at Riley's question, "Oh, we are only sending 500,000 of our 1,000,000 ships. We are aware of the earth's nuclear defenses and simply felt this number would cause panic and chaos in your world and perhaps make our job easier. If you could give us Marisella, we would not attack. If not, we must do this or we will lose more than just the battle and the war, we'll lose everything."

Riley shook his head at Actri, "I think you're leaving something out and I want to know what it is."

"I can tell you about anything you want to know, except when it comes to the military. That's where the power is now." Actri confessed, "Our government is in a state of turmoil and even if we kill Marisella, we fear the Glascoph's will have become too powerful for us and expect them to destroy us whenever they are ready."

"Then send your fleet back and protect your planet. Talk to the Glascoph's, find a solution to this so you don't lose everything." Riley advised, "It seems to me like you both have valid claims for war, but you seem convinced you will lose and yet still won't make an effort to prevent this?"

"It's not my decision to make. I believe in our military leader and know he will do what's right."

"That's not you talking, that's the party line." Riley said loudly, "Who is your leader and how can I get in touch with him?"

"He won't talk to you. You don't have enough power and you don't have Marisella."

"I know where she is though." Riley said, catching Actri's attention in a hurry, "I don't believe Marisella needs to die to end this feud. I don't always believe diplomacy works, but in certain situations a simple conversation can at the very least, make people stop and think about what they might lose if things get out of hand."

"I don't know." Actri said, his defiant demeanor fading somewhat, "Our military leader is the son of the man Marisella killed. He is not going to stop until he sees her dead."

Riley sat down and stared at Actri, "I think you need to let me talk to him."

"He's not going to listen to a human. We despise humans more than we despise the Glascoph's."  
"We seem to get that a lot." Riley smirked, "But this isn't a request. You are not going to destroy my planet just to save face in some misguided war. Now, who is your commander?"

"I told you it's pointless, he will never speak to you."

"Just tell me what his name is and how I can contact him." Riley ordered, grabbing Actri by the throat to get his point across.

Actri laughed at Riley's attempts to threaten him, "I do not fear you or death, but since it won't matter, I'll tell you. His name is Traviock. He's on a mission and nothing will stop him."

"That's a start." Riley said, jotting the name down on a piece of paper, "Now, how can I get in touch with him? There has to be some frequency you use that I can tap into."

"I'm not familiar with all your forms of communication, but your primitive devices will never succeed. We use a multi functional system, constantly switching frequencies, scrambling our signal and it is impossible for your primitive systems to deal with such sophisticated equipment."

"You'd be surprised at the technology us simple earthlings possess." Riley said with a smirk, "Now, I will set up a transmitter that can send a scrambled and undetected signal pretty much anywhere I need to, so just give me his frequency and I'll find a way to contact him."

"You can try but even if you succeed, he will never listen to you. Avenging his father's death is all he thinks about. We all support him."

"That's nice. You can go back to your cell now." Riley said, motioning for the guards to take Actri away.

**Tape Ends**.

Angel stood up, stretched his legs and then stared at Riley, "Did you ever contact this leader person?"

Riley got up, removed the tape from the machine and promptly put it back on the shelf, "Yes I did, but unfortunately Actri was right, he was in no mood to listen to anyone."

"Did you tell the Watchers Council about this?" Angel asked, watching Riley's every move.

"No, there was no reason. I didn't get any useful information. I've tried contacting Traviock numerous times since with the same results."

"Well Riley, did ya ever think that someone else might have better luck?" Angel asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Riley looked at Angel as if he were insane, "No, why would I?"

"For all your fancy gadgets and your so called brilliant mind, you aren't very bright sometimes." Angel said as he turned to leave.

"Wait just a second." Riley yelled and stepped in front of Angel, "I don't need lessons in anything from some vampire. No, not just some vampire, THE vampire who killed most of Europe and who knows how many others in your rampage. Now that you have a soul you are a saint who does no wrong. That's sweet, it really is, but in my book, the sooner there are no vampires, the better off this world will be."

"You might be right about that, but until that happens, I'm gonna help as many people as I can." Angel said, moving up into Riley's face, "If you stay out of my way we won't have any problems."

"I want nothing to do with the likes of you. I'm pretty sure Giles feels the same way." Riley added sharply, "Nobody knows when you'll get bored with helping people and want to return to your vampire ways, so I'd rather not risk anyone's life while you experiment with the good side."

"You don't have to believe me, I don't really care." Angel said with whisper, doing his best Clint Eastwood impression.

"I don't sense us crossing paths much. You're a loner and I'm a loner so we shouldn't have any problem." Riley said calmly, holding the door open for Angel, "You go try and redeem yourself. I'll go find a solution to the threat we're facing."

"Good idea, since you've had so much success already." Angel said sarcastically as he walked slowly out the door.

Riley waited for Angel to leave and then pushed a button on his desk. Moments later one of his assistants appeared. 

"Bring me Actri. We're going on a trip." Riley said calmly, pulling up a screen on his computer that showed the half million ships headed towards earth.

"Yes sir." The assistant said as he turned and rushed out of the room.

**End of Chapter 47**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

**Underground city of the Powers Above and Below.**

Harmony grabbed Darla as the voices began to speak.

"Is everything setup?" Airlia asked softly.

Alastair stepped into the light, holding a picture of Harmony talking to a man and handed it to Airlia, "Yes, we are now ready to move to the next phase. Darla must be taught a lesson. Soon she will find out about Harmony and we can't let that happen. Once she does, everything we've worked for will be in jeopardy."

Airlia studied the picture for a moment, then looked back at Alastair, "It's good we have this information confirmed about Harmony. It makes her more of a threat than we had anticipated."

"Yes, she's proved to be much more complex than any of us gave her credit for. But, her secrets may end of costing her Darla's trust and that would surely be the end of this highly unlikely pairing. Even if Darla finds out the truth in time, I believe she's too far gone to be of any use to us in the future. Let us hope she perishes in the attack, I've grown fond of her and am not sure I could kill her." Alastair said with a deep sigh.

"Oh, that's alright, I could. I find her insolence to be worthy of death and would not hesitate to kill her on sight." Airlia said, her anger stronger than even she realized.

Alastair looked at Airlia with a puzzled look on his face, "Dear, I'm sensing your anger is not solely based on Darla's behavior, in fact, judging by the look on your face right now, I'd say your comments seemed to be that of a woman scorned. Is it true?"

Airlia turned from Alastair and tried finding some words, but she knew she couldn't like to Alastair, "What happened between Darla and I is in the past. Her death is warranted and has nothing to do with our history."

"I'm shocked Airlia. I really am. As much as it was forbidden for Darla to become involved with a human, it was equally forbidden for you to become involved with one of your pupils. This is not something I can ignore. The elders must know as well as our new partner."

"I'm sorry Alastair, I can't let you do that." Airlia said, pulling out futuristic weapon and aiming it at her long time friend, "I can't give up the dream. Not when I'm so close. I never wanted this to happen, but you give me no choice."

"Airlia, don't do it. We can talk about this. We can find a way to work it out." Alastair said, taking a couple small steps towards her.

"No, it's too late. Goodbye my friend. I will miss you dearly." Airlia said as she fired her weapon. Alastair fell to the ground below his sister, dead instantly. 

Darla stood in silence as the tape ended. Harmony put her arms around Darla and hugged her for the longest time. 

After a long, warm and friendly hug, Darla pulled back and looked at Harmony, "I think you better explain what's going on here. I told you when we first met that their parts of my life that had to be a secret, but in the end I couldn't keep anything from you. I see it was easier for you to keep things from me."

"No it wasn't easy at all." Harmony said, knowing this day was long over do, "I had to swear to this or I could never have become who I am now. I know I owe you an explanation, but I think the best way to explain it is to show you who I'm working with. I really think you'll approve."

"I can't believe you are working with anyone." Darla said, pulling back from Harmony again, "It just means you've been putting on an act for me. I loved you just the way you were. But this isn't the real you is it? No, you've been working behind my back as what, some secret agent? I don't even know you anymore. I don't say this to be mean or judgmental, but the Harmony I fell in love with could never do any of this. I have to wonder what kind of person would."

"Darla, you have to let me explain. Please, come with me. Just hear me out and if it's not good enough, well, at least I tried." Harmony pleaded, but quickly looked down below at even more guards entering the room, "We need to get out of here, because whoever was masquerading as Alastair just now, is not to be trusted."

"I'll give you a chance to explain Harmony, I owe you that much." Darla said with a weak smile.

"Good, let's get out of here." Harmony said, feeling a rush of adrenaline throughout her body, "Are you ready for a fight? Because I don't think we can get out of here without one."

They moved back down the long and winding stairs, stopping as Airlia moved forward with a dozen guards around her, "Look what we have here, the two lovebirds have come to surrender."

"Don't kid yourself Airlia. I can't believe I trusted you. I can't believe I loved you once. Why does everyone I love have to change?" Darla asked, looking at Airlia and then back at Harmony.  
"Oh, I didn't change Darla; you just saw what you wanted to see." Airlia held out her weapon, aiming it directly at Darla's head, "If it means anything, I did love you. I knew you were a distraction I couldn't afford, but I still couldn't let you go. I guess in a way, I have you to thank for that. I never quite new why your feelings for me changed, but as I see you with this pretty young blonde, I have my answer."

"No, don't blame Harmony for this." Darla yelled, all the while looking for a way out, "We didn't work out for so many reasons, but mostly because you just didn't have any time for me. I used to be jealous of how close you were to Alastair, but I can see I was wrong there to wasn't I? I don't think you were close as in friends, as much as you wanted to keep him close because he didn't think the same way as you do. I think you knew all along you'd have to kill him one day and now I know how easy it was."  
"Don't judge me. You have no idea what Alastair meant to me." Airlia held her finger on the trigger of her powerful weapon, glaring back at Darla knowing she'd have the last laugh, "I've never had a friend like him and I never will again, but he was weak. He didn't see the big picture. Even after we joined forced with our new ally, he was skeptical of everything and that made our new partner very uncomfortable. I had no choice. It was either him or both of us. Well, I'm a survivor and he knew that. Even at the end he knew."

Darla couldn't believe what she was hearing, "I'm sure he's so proud of you now."

"Enough small talk. You must know that you can't leave here. So, you can give up and I'll make your death quick and painless, but if you resist, I'll leave your punishment up to the guards." Airlia said with demented smile.

"I think we'll decline." Darla said as she looked at Harmony and gave her a nod.

"As you wish." Airlia said, stepping back and motioning at her guards, "Get them. Take them alive and bring them to the chamber."

As the guards converged on the two girls, they stood back to back, facing a horde of armed guards and yet confident they would win.

One by one the guards attempted to grab the women, each time they were foiled and sent flying back across the room. Slowly but surely the mass of guards began to dwindle, growing weary of their opponents they retreated and tried a new tactic.

"Are you okay?" Darla asked, keeping her eye on the guards in front of her.

"I'm good." Harmony smiled, "I feel so comfortable fighting with you. When we get out of here, I'm going to do everything in my power to show you that you didn't make a mistake falling in love with me."

They were swarmed by guards before Darla could answer. This time they came at the girls in a wave, knocking them both down and putting them in a very awkward and defensive position. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, the girls fought as hard as they could, but soon their energy began to deplete and their resistance was all but gone. 

After some more fierce fighting, the guards finally gained the upper hand, grabbing both women, neutralizing there arms and then their legs, they began dragging them down the hallway. As they got to the door, they were met by a very unhappy Anya, "Let me guess, Airlia told you to take these two to her chamber?"

One guard stepped forward, bowed in front of Anya, "Yes, that is what she requested. Are you here to give us different orders?"

"Yes I am. Let them go." Anya said with smile.

"What? Airlia will be furious." The guard said with fear in his voice.

"Well, as furious as Airlia can get, she is no match for me when I get angry, so you better do what I said before you find out what I'm capable of." Anya said as she moved up to the guard and stared him down, "Let them go!"

"Yes, of course." He said and then turned to his men, "You heard the lady, let them go."

Darla and Harmony moved to the back of the room. Anya followed, "It looks like you owe me one."

"I don't want to owe you anything Anya." Darla said with distain, "If you think we're going to switch sides or something, you might as well give us back to the guards."

"Oh, you are such a drama queen Darla." Anya laughed, "I didn't say what I wanted

yet."

"Get on with it, because I doubt we'll say yes to anything you want." Harmony said.

"Okay, well how about a Christmas card? I did save your lives, it seems like a small price to pay." Anya said, smiling at the confused reaction she was getting.

"Are you insane? Don't answer that." Darla said, finding it hard not to smile, "Fine, if that's what you want and there's no strings attached, I'll be sure to send you one."

Harmony noticed Anya staring at her and threw up her hands, "Okay, I don't understand this at all, but I'll send you one to."

"Great, see, it doesn't always have to be so serious does it? Of course not. Anyway, you really should leave before Airlia gets back. She has one hell of a temper. Bye for now, I look forward to your cards." Anya smiled and walked back towards the guards and through the door to meet Airlia.

"Okay that was strange." Darla said with cute smile, "I've only met Anya once before and she was anything but friendly. Anyway, we need to go, we'll figure this out later."

Harmony smiled and nodded and they took off.

**Sunnydale Park**

Glory sat down beside Joyce and began, "I'm sure Buffy has told you that I had a talk with her and Dawn a while back, but what she didn't know at the time, was that I had planned on killing both her and Dawn."

Joyce's face went white with shock, "I can't believe you would kill them."

"That's just it. I couldn't do it." Glory said, looking deep into Joyce's eyes, "I looked at Buffy and I saw you in her smile. I looked at Dawn and saw you in her eyes. I saw you and couldn't go through with it. I knew what pain that would bring to you and I couldn't stand the thought of you going through that kind of agony. It literally hurt me physically to think of that. I've never experienced anything so powerful in my life."

"That's love and compassion." Joyce smiled, putting her arm around Glory and giving her a hug, "I always knew this about you. I'm just glad you realized it in time."

"I saw so much potential in those two. Buffy was already a slayer and along with Faith, they might be part of the biggest and greatest prophecy the world has ever seen. Dawn also has a big future in front of her. One I'm sure nobody has taken the time to discover. Until I did," Glory said with a proud smile, "And I think you should know that you are going to have another special young girl on your hands in another year."

"What do you mean? What do you know about Dawn?" Joyce asked, her eyes beaming with curiosity.

"I'll tell you all about that later, but right now I want to do something before something gets in the way." Glory took hold of Joyce's hands and pulled her in close, "So much has happened since we first met and I want to get back to how things were before all this crap got in the way."

"Yes, I want that to." Joyce said with a wide smile, her hands squeezing Glory's tightly as she looked into her eyes. 

There was a moment of silence as they shared a smile and leaned in for a deep hug, pulling back Glory put her hands on Joyce's check, gently rubbing her soft skin, brushing the hair aside and then kissing her softly for the first time in a very long time.

Joyce eagerly returned the kiss, putting her arms around Glory's waist, lowered her left hand down over Glory's ass and pulled her close.   
It started out as a soft sweet kiss, but it soon became one of unbridled passion as the two women kissed wildly in the middle of the park, oblivious to the world around them as they were in their own little world.

Glory slid her hand up and under Joyce's blouse, but Joyce pushed Glory's hand back down and began looking around the park, before looking back at Glory, "Not here. This isn't how I want this to be."

"I want you. I don't care where we are." Glory said as she leaned in and began kissing Joyce hard and deep.

Joyce returned the kiss again, finding it harder and harder to resist Glory's sweet lips and wandering hands. 

When they finally came up for air, Glory felt a pain in her side and as she turned to see what it was, a large metal ball come flying towards her. With little time to react, Glory pushed Joyce to the ground, attempted to jump out of the way of the huge metal ball, but couldn't get out of the way in time.

Joyce screamed out, "No!" as she watched Glory hit the ground with such tremendous force. She had no time to grieve, as three men came out from a small van on the corner, walked right up to Joyce, grabbed her and then checked on Glory, who lay lifeless and bloodied down the hill below. Moving in for a closer look, the two men pulled out what appeared to be taser guns, aimed them right at Glory as one man used his foot and rolled her over onto her back. 

Leaning down, the taller of the two men checked for a pulse. After a minute, he stood up and shook his head no, "She's dead."

"We need to get back and report to Spike." Said the other man as they walked back up the small hill.  
"What do we do with this one?" the third man asked, his hand wrapped tightly around Joyce's waist.  
The taller man grabbed Joyce's purse, pulled out her driver's license and smiled, "I think we will be keeping her, she's the slayers mother. But, let's call Spike and find out."

Joyce waited for the man to pull out his cell phone and place the call and as the other two men relaxed for that moment, she grabbed the man's hand that was holding her, ducked down, spun around and flipped him hard onto the ground.  
When the second man rushed her, she dodged to her right, turned, elbowed him in the back, then kicked his legs out from under him and put a stake through his chest, turning him to a pile of dust instantly.

Hopping to her feet, she lunged at the man on the phone, knocking him to the ground. Climbing on top of him, she held the stake to his chest, "Where is Spike?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if knew." He said with a smug smirk. 

"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Joyce said shaking her head, and then shoved the stake through the vamps chest.  
As she got up, she heard a voice yelling, so she looked down and picked up the cell phone, "Spike, is that you?"

"What the hell is this? Where's Peterson? Or Jarcovic? Who are you?"

"I'm your new worst enemy. You shouldn't have killed Glory. You will pay for that." Joyce said calmly, her eye clear and focused.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the slayers mommy." Spike said, his eyes growing wide, "I feel as if I know you, having killed you once already. Well, I guess it wasn't technically me, but I like the idea of you being dead just the same."

"I'm glad to see you 're still the same arrogant bastard you always were, makes it so much easier to kill you."

Spike laughed, "Better people than you have tried, and as you can see, they've all failed, so bring it on little momma, hey, why not bring your little brat slayer with ya and while you're at it, bring the second half of the chosen two as well. Might as well end this once and for all. Oh and as for Dawn, I'll be sure to take good care of her when you are all dead and buried."

"Why you…" Joyce started to scream, but took a deep breath, counted to 10 and then continued, "Well, we know what you are, so where do you want to meet? I assume you'll need all your little groupies to come along, so just tell me where and when and I'l be there."

"Aren't you the accommodating one these days." Spike chuckled, "Well, I was hoping for a bit more of a hunt, but I'll take any chance I can get to kill a slayer or former slayer for that matter. I'm still in LA right now, but I'm on my way to Sunnydale. Why don't we meet at Sunnydale High at midnight tonight, I think that's a fitting place for you and your daughter to die. Don't you?"

"I'll be there." Joyce said, then dropped the cell phone to the ground and squashed it with her heels. 

As she walked over to the vamp still lying on the ground, she pulled out her stake and pulled him to his feet, "I need you to do something for me."

"You're crazy. I don't work for women."

Joyce walked in a circle around the terrified, yet still smug vamp, "No need to be like that, it's really not a big deal. You might even enjoy it."

"I doubt that. You don't betray Spike and survive, so just kill me and get it over with."

"I suppose it comes down to how much you want to die, doesn't it?" Joyce said with little expression, "If you want to live, then you don't have to think of such things. What I'd like to you do has nothing to do with betraying Spike."

"What do you want?" the vamp asked, quick to listen to anything that would prolong his life.

"I need you to get a message to the middle aged Billy Idol wannabee."

"Well, I can do that." He said excitedly.

"Good to hear." Joyce nodded, and led the vamp down over the other side of the park, "I need you to tell Spike and whoever he's working with that he made a very big mistake going after Glory. Don't worry, he'll soon know what that means, but for now, I want him thinking about this and what I'm going to do to his scrawny little hide when I find him."

"Spike won't be afraid you know. He's been talking for years about how he's going to rid the world of slayers and he mentioned you specifically."

"Well, I think you'll be surprised at how Spike reacts to this." Joyce smiled and turned her head to the right.

The vamp turned to see what Joyce was looking at and almost fell over as he saw Glory walking towards him, "But…she's dead."

"I am? Well, then this won't hurt a bit." Glory said, her pearly white teeth shining brightly as she drove her fist into the vamps hollow head.

Joyce stood over the dazed vamp as he shook the cobwebs from his head and tried to sit up, "Now, do you understand why Spike might find this bit of news interesting?"

Nodding his head rapidly up and down was about all the vamp could do.

Joyce helped the vamp to his feet, dusted off his jacket and put her arm around the vamp, "Good, now you best be get moving and make sure Spike knows there are two very angry women after him. Take care now."

Glory watched as the vamp tore off like a rocket and waited for Joyce to make her way back over to her, "I knew Spike would do something like this, I just never thought I'd survive. He's either getting lazy or he isn't clear about what being a god truly means."

"I for one am glad he failed." Joyce said with a sigh of relief, "It still must've hurt, right? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Glory said, reassuring Joyce with a big smile, "It felt like getting the wind knocked out of you. I'll feel it for a couple hours, but like a slayer, I heal pretty fast."

Joyce wasn't easily convinced, especially not when she looked at the tattered and torn dress the large metal ball had left her with, "Still, I'd feel better if I could take a look at you and see if there's any serious damage."

"I'm not gonna say no to an offer like that. You can look me over for as long as you want. I'm all yours." Glory grinned as she fell into Joyce's arms, "Take me away doc."

"Oh I plan to." Joyce said as she put her arms around Glory and led her back to her car.

**End of Chapter 48**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 4**9

**Buffy's House.**

Willow, Cordy, Fred and Eve stood around the front door smiling and casually making small talk when Fred's ring began to blink and Marisella rushed into the room.

"Lilah needs us." Marisella said, walking past everyone to get to Fred, "It's an emergency, we have to leave now."

"I have to tell Buffy." Fred said and then turned towards the kitchen.

"No, we have to go." Marisella insisted and then turned to Willow, "Could you please tell Buffy that we need to leave?"

"Of course." Willow said with nod.

Marisella smiled back at Willow, "Thank you."

"Wait." Eve shouted as she stepped up beside Fred, "I want to come with you."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Fred explained, quickly looking to her mother for some kind of signal.

"She can come through the portal, but there is danger ahead and I cannot assure her safety."

"I don't care, I'm coming with you." Eve said as she took hold of Fred's hand, "I accept the risks."

"We shall leave." Marisella said and then motioned for everyone to stand back. She then began chanting and as she touched her ring a portal opened up in front of them. "Enter now."

Eve and Fred jumped through together and Marisella followed shortly after. 

They teleported to Angel's apartment and were met by Lilah who was obviously shaken up.

"It's Gwen. She's gone." Lilah said, still in a state of disbelief a she handed Gwen's note to Marisella.  
Marisella read it and put her arm around Lilah, "She's young, she feels left out. I understand why she's doing this."

"Well, I'll worry about that later. I just want her back home." Lilah said, leading everyone out the door in search of Gwen.

**Venice Beach  
**

Gwen had gotten up shortly after she went to bed, checked on Lilah and left her a note on her nightstand and walked out the front door.

It was a calm and peaceful night, perfect for a long walk to clear one's head. Gwen's head was filled with conflicting emotions about so many things, not the least of which was her sister's newfound 'real' family.

Wondering why nothing in her life every went the way she hoped, Gwen only needed to relive the picture of Lilah with Fred and Marisella a couple times in her head to get into a really dark and dangerous place.

Warm waves washing up her leg brought Gwen back to reality. It wasn't just the water that caught her attention as a tall blonde woman began walking towards her.

"Don't be afraid." The woman said as she moved closer to Gwen.

Gwen did a quick survey of the area, feeling more at ease knowing there was only one strange person approaching her, "I'm not afraid, but if you get any closer without telling me who you are, I'm going to make you afraid."

"That's so cute, but I know all about your powers Gwen, so I have nothing to fear. I just came to talk, that's all. By the way, love your name."

"Thanks, but I don't much like talking to strangers, especially those who know so much about me." Gwen said, staying at arms length as the woman moved closer.

Walking slowly towards Gwen, the woman stopped a couple feet in front of her, "Well, I guess it would be polite to introduce myself, I'm Gwendolyn Post. I used to work for the Watcher's Council, but found that to be such a bore. I'm now working with some truly creative people and would love it if you'd join us on our mission."

"I have no idea who you are lady, but no offense, but you give me the creeps, so I'll just save you the recruitment speech and decline." Gwen said, stepping slowly away from Gwendolyn.

"I was really hoping you'd be more receptive." Gwendolyn said, puzzled by Gwen's reaction, "I was told you were having problems with your sisters new family. Is that not true?"

Gwen couldn't help but be surprised by Gwendolyn's comments, "Yeah, it's true, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna run and join some lunatic's side. Just who do you work for anyway? Wolfram & Hart?"

"I can't really say until you come to our side. I can tell you that you'll love it." Gwendolyn said, her voice filled with excitement, "Freedom to use those electric fingers of yours anyway you want. Money, power and a safe place to hide when the final battle begins."

"I'm not interested." Gwen said firmly, this time noticing people coming towards her from numerous directions, "Wolfram & Hart took a year off my life and put me through hell in that psychiatric facility. I'd rather die than be held prisoner again. But, if I do go down, I'll be taking you with me."

Gwendolyn smiled at Gwen's bold prediction, "Now you see, it's that kind of attitude that we're looking for. You've got fire in your eyes and you live for danger. I can feel it. You'll never be happy in a boring 9-5 job, so why not stop fighting this and come have a look at what I'm offering before you turn it down."

Gwen backed up each time Gwendolyn took a step forward, "I don't know anything about you or who you're working for, so until I do, I'm not going anywhere."

Sensing an opening in Gwen's defense, Gwendolyn did her best to cease it, "Well, let me help you with a few things. I've always wanted power. Not physical power, but power to make things happen. Power to get the things I deserve. Power to control my own destiny and not live at the beck and call of others. Right now I'm working with others who feel the exact same way I do, but in order to fully achieve our goal, we need to change the power structure of the world as we know it. Because the only way to ensure this is to be the ones in power. From there, anything is possible. So tell me Gwen, what's your dream? What do you want that you don't see happening?"

"I thought I had what I wanted most when Lilah found me. I thought my life was going to change. I still have her, but I don't think it'll ever be the same for us now. It won't be us against the world, she's got her real family for that." Gwen said, still so conflicted about her new family, "Still, I don't see what I would gain from joining you. I don't want power. I want my sister to spend time with me. I don't want to share her with strangers."

Gwendolyn grew frustrated by Gwen's lack of commitment, "Okay, you had your chance to do this the easy way, but I have things to do and you are going to be part of it whether you like it or not."

"I guess I always knew this was coming." Gwen said, shaking her fingers loose as she kept an eye on the men around her, "Nothing about you felt right and compared to you, my new family doesn't seem so bad anymore. So thanks, you helped me come around."

"Take her, but do not kill her." Gwendolyn ordered, "As much as I'd like to and probably will when this is over, she's needed, so be gentle when you knock her unconscious."

Lilah, Fred, Marisella and Eve walked up to the edge of the beach as the guards closed in on Gwen. 

"Eve, when I give you a signal, I want you stand beside Gwen and hold on until this is over." Marisella said calmly, "There's no time to explain, but I'm going to create a force field with my daughters to protect both of you."

"You are?" Fred asked, more than a little confused about her mothers comment.

"I'd like to know what you mean to." Lilah asked, curious about her mothers plan.

"Okay girls, this is it." Marisella said with a proud smile, "It's your first chance to use the powers you were born with. I need you to concentrate all your energies on one thing, protecting Gwen and Eve. I will begin the morphing process holding your hands, this will help send the energy through both of you and together, we'll create a shield that nothing can harm. You don't have to understand this fully right now, but you do have to concentrate and let your body relax so it can change it's molecular structure."  
"Wow, sounds exciting. What will it feel like?" Fred asked excitedly.

"It won't feel much different than you normally do. There will be a slight feeling of weightlessness at first, but it doesn't last long." Marisella explained, "Once we are in the form of a shield we can then, if they still don't leave, I will turn into a weapon and take care of them the hard way. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Okay, I'm ready." Lilah said as she joined hands with Fred and her mother. 

"Stay close Eve. We are about to change." Marisella smiled. 

Eve stood by as she watched Marisella slowly begin to change before her very eyes. Fred and Lilah began changing shortly after and soon they were all just a bundle of energy.

As the energy field moved closer to Gwen, the men moving towards Gwen stopped and looked back at Gwendolyn for some sort of signal.

Gwendolyn stepped forward, studied the strange mist, but having no clue what she was dealing with. Unsure what to do or say, Gwendolyn shrugged her shoulders, "Just get the girl and we'll deal with that thing if we have to."

Marisella increased their speed and they were standing in front of Gwen before anyone got to her.   
Eve rushed up to Gwen, grabbed her hand and turned her around, "Listen, your sister is part of this shield. Just hold on until it's over."

"What? Where's Lilah and who the hell are you?" Gwen said loudly, but continued holding onto Eve just to be safe.

As the men moved close to the shield, they hovered around it before one of them decided to make a move and tried to put his hand through it. When he did, he got more than just a shock, he was sent backwards about a 100 feet with enough force to keep the rest of them at bay.

Gwendolyn stomped her feet on the ground as her men began to back away from the shield, going so far as to stake two of the vamps herself for their inability to obey.

Moving right up to the shield, Gwendolyn shook her head and gritted her teeth, "You think this shield is going to protect you from magic? You are wrong." 

Eve watched as Gwendolyn took a couple steps back from the shield, stopped, pulled out a triangular metal object along with a little black book and began flipping through the pages.

After a few minutes of rumbling through her book, Gwendolyn paused, held out her shiny metal object and began to chant. Strange words came out of her mouth as she spun the object in a circle around her head. When the chanting reached a feverish pitch, Gwendolyn tossed the object at shield and a huge explosion took place, with enough force to knock Gwendolyn on her ass and light up the sky with waves of smoke coming up from above the shield.

As the smoke cleared and Gwendolyn got up to have a look at what was left of the shield. When the smoke cleared, she was beside herself with surprise to see the shield had not been damaged even a little by her powerful spell.

Marisella then sent a message to her daughters via the energy they were sharing and began changing into a weapon as she rose above the shield.

With the weapon aimed right at her, Gwendolyn cast another spell towards the shield, but again to no avail. Growing angrier by the second, she tried one last spell, but it to had no effect on the powerful shield. Spotting a rock on the ground, she bent down, picked it up and threw it as hard as she could at the shield, only to see it fall harmlessly to the ground, doing no damage at all.

Aiming the weapon at Gwendolyn's feet, Marisella fired off one shot, sending a large metal object inches from her fancy heels. Gwendolyn jumped off the ground and backed up, but another shot was fired at her so she jumped again. Then another and another and Gwendolyn finally turned and ran for cover and soon disappeared from sight.

Marisella waited until she felt it was safe and let her daughters know it was time to revert back to their human form and slowly but surely all three women turned back into themselves as Gwen and Eve looked on in awe.

"That was amazing." Eve said as she walked back over to Fred, grabbing her arm as she stumbled slightly.

Fred held onto to Eve and smiled, "Thanks, I felt a bit dizzy for a second."

"Yes, it takes a while to get used to, but you both were amazing for your first time. I'm really so proud of you." Marisella said, smiling at both her daughters.

"It was sure different, but I kind of liked it. I felt so free and relaxed, like time stood still." Lilah said, enjoying the feeling it gave her.

Gwen stood quietly by as everyone talked and laughed and once again she felt like the outsider.

Lilah saw this and quickly rushed over to her, "I'm so glad you're okay. I'm sorry you felt you had to runaway. I wish you could see that I want you in my life. I don't get scared easily, but when I read your note I was terrified at what might happen to you. Why can't you see that I love you?"

"Okay, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I was mad and I needed some time to think." Gwen said, not really enjoying the attention she was getting from the other three women, "I didn't have any big plans and I sure wasn't saying yes to the psycho woman either."

"I know you wouldn't." Lilah said, smiling to reassure Gwen she believed in her, "If something is bothering you we need to talk about it. It's the only way we can work it out. I'd like it if you could get to know Fred and Marisella. I'm not ordering it, but they are my family to and I want all of us to get along. That's not asking too much, is it?"

"Maybe not, but it all happened so fast I just wasn't ready for it." Gwen said, her eyes still focused on where Gwendolyn used to be. "Can we just get back to the apartment, I have a feeling that woman isn't going to stay gone. She seemed rather creepy, but she also seemed to know who I was and wanted me to come work for her. She said the world was going to change in a big way and I think she means it. What do you know about all this?"

"Not much, but things are starting to come together." Lilah explained as she led the group back to the apartment, "I think the best thing we can do right now is find Angel and the slayers and get to the bottom of this."

**Buffy Summers' House**

Buffy read the last page of the folder and quietly closed it and put it back on the huge stack in front of her and leaned back and shook her head in disgust at everything she'd just learned.

With the knowledge of the Deparis threat so real and so close, Buffy knew time was her enemy and decided it was time to rally the troops and come up with a plan to stop this impending attack.  
Before she could stand up, she felt a pair of hands grab her by the shoulders and push her back down. As they began to caress her stress filled shoulders and neck she leaned up and smiled widely as Faith looked back at her, "Hey, you look like you could use a rest. What did I miss?"

Buffy turned around and leaned up towards Faith, "I'm so glad you're here, but as much as I'd love to sit here and let you continue this wonderful massage, we have a very serious situation on our hands and I'm not sure what we can do about it."

"Well, whatever needs to be done I'm sure we'll find a way to take care of it. It's what we do, right?" Faith said confidently.

"You're right." Buffy said, feeding off Faith's confidence, "Why don't you look over this file here and I will go gather everyone up and we'll figure out what to do next."

"I'm not big on reading; can ya maybe give me the short version?" Faith asked as she looked at the size of the file Buffy handed her.

"Oh Faith, you make me smile and I can't tell you how much I needed that right now." Buffy said softly and then gave Faith a big hug.

"Wow, that's some hug." Faith said as she returned the hug, "I'm sensing something pretty big is going on. Seriously, what are we up against?"

"For starters, an entire race set on destroying the world, or most of it, so that Ethan, Spike, Wolfram & Hart and whoever else is working with them can control what's left of it." Buffy said as she pulled away from the hug, but held onto Faith's hand as she continued, "A lot has happened since we were tossed into this mess together and I don't want it to end like this. I'm finally happy with my life. I feel like I have purpose now and I can't imagine this all being over before…before I find out…oh god, what I'm trying to say is, I like you Faith, I haven't felt this way about anyone in my life and nothing in this world has felt as right as being with you. As a friend or..as something more. I know you've got a past and I know you are very close to your friend Gwen, but I also know that you feel the same connection with me as I feel with you. It's strong, it's meant to be. I've never believed in fate or destiny before, but I'm starting to think that you and I were destined to be together, not just as slayers, but as more. I just want the chance to find out what that more might be."

Faith stood staring deep into Buffy's eyes, yet her silence spoke volumes to Buffy.

Buffy pulled back and became very nervous and embarrassed, "Oh god, I've said too much. I always do that."  
"No, you didn't. What you said was all true." Faith said, walking slowly over to Buffy, putting her hand up against her cheek, then resting them on the front of her shoulders, "It's just that I'm not very good with words. I do know that I feel the same way as you do about us. I've known since the first second I saw you. When our eyes met in school something changed inside me. Oh I know how that must sound, but I felt it. Every moment I've spent with you since we met has been like a dream. A good dream. When we first kissed, oh how I love to remember that first kiss, I felt like I was on fire and I still feel that way. Being around you is like this amazing roller coaster of emotions. Emotions I never knew I had. I do know that I'm not gonna let some demon race get in the way of the rest of our lives. I have a feeling that this isn't the last big crisis we'll have to face, but I know we'll find a way to stop it. I just know it."

"And you say you're not good with words." Buffy grinned. "You're right to. We will stop this threat and then I want us to take some time for ourselves where we can get back to some kissing without being interrupted."

"Now you're talking." Faith smiled and began kissing Buffy deeply. 

Buffy instantly responded and the two slayers were locked in a passionate kiss, that had them twisting and turning around the room, knocking over tables, chairs and anything else in their path.

When they finally came up for air, they turned to see every single person in the house was standing watching them.

"There is a god." Xander yelled as he took one final picture of the two girls and sat down and began reliving it over and over again in his head.

"Shut up Xander." Willow said as she rolled her eyes at Xander yet again.

"Aren't we in the middle of some kind of doom and gloom and you two are making out?" Cordelia asked, then turned to Willow, "Are you sure they're the slayers?"

"Yes, that's them." Willow nodded, "So Buffy what's next?"

Buffy tried to gain her composure, looking around at everyone staring back at her, "Well, we were just about to get to that before…anyway, I think we need to get everyone who's involved in this together and work from there. We need someone contacting the Mayor, Giles, Riley, Darla and who else?"

Cordelia stepped forward, "Harmony is always with Darla, but I don't know if she knows anything about all this. Actually, I doubt it, she's not the really into super hero stuff."

"What about Angel?" Andrew shouted as he put up his hand as if in school.

"What about him?" Buffy shot back.

Andrew backed away from Buffy, "Well, Ethan was very concerned about Angel switching sides, because he had big plans for Angelus and had a major fit when he found out Angelus was gone. He made it clear to everyone that Angel must be stopped or he could become a serious threat to their plan. I just think you might want to talk to him."

"He's right B." Faith added, "Angel may be a vampire, but he did help Gwen and I think he could be useful. I just don't know how to get a hold of him, although Lilah might know how."

"Okay, why don't you talk to Lilah and we'll see if Angel can be of any help. Wes, I want you to find Riley and try and get him here. I'll call the mayor and get him and Giles back now. Cordelia, do you have any way of contacting Harmony or Darla? From what I read, Darla could be very helpful. Where's my mom?" Buffy asked as she looked around the room.

"I don't know where she is, but I'm here and I have some information for you." Darla said, stepping into the room with Harmony by her side.

Cordelia rushed over and gave them both a hug, "So I hear you two are somehow involved in this mess we're in?"

"Indirectly." Darla said with a guilty look, "I only know half the story, the stuff about this attack we are facing I know nothing about."

"I knew there was a chance we could be attacked, but even Riley didn't believe it would ever come to pass." Harmony added as she to had to face the disappointed glare of Cordelia.

"This is just great. My two best friends living secret lives right under my nose." Cordelia said, this time with a much harsher tone. "Not only that, I lose my memory and am even more in the dark. If not for Willow's constant support I don't know where I'd be. You two could learn a thing or two about friendship from her."

"I'm sorry." Darla said sincerely, "I am, but when this is all over I will answer any questions you have and hopefully you'll understand why I couldn't tell you anything."

"I'm sorry to." Harmony said, echoing Darla's sentiments, "I had no idea how much secrecy was involved once I got into this, but I'm not sure it's something I want to keep doing. At least not like this. I'd like to help out, but I hated keeping things from you and Darla. I really did."

"I think we need to start getting to work here or we won't be around to say sorry to anyone." Buffy said bluntly, "Now let's get everyone together. Do what you need to do, but meet back in here an hour and let's hope everyone shows up. Either way, we are moving forward with a plan."

**End of Chapter 49**


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

**An Abandon Airfield outside of Sunnydale**.

Spike, Ethan, Gwendolyn, Lindsay and an army of vamps, demons as well as hundreds of Wolfram & Hart security personnel began to make their way of the huge transport plane, that had just landed on an airfield just outside of Sunnydale.

"Alright, everyone knows what they have to do. Let's not have any screwups and we should have Sunnydale under our control in a matter of days." Spike said with a creepy smile, "And where the hell is Airlia? She's supposed to be here. Without her resources, this is gonna be a much messier fight than it has to be."

"Oh don't you worry about me Spike." Airlia said as she strolled up to Spike with a horde of her enforcers surrounding her, "Now, let's get something clear, I don't work for you or with you. I'm simply joining this mission for my own personal reasons. When it's over, you and I can talk about how to split up what will be left of this annoying planet. But know one thing; you will not be the leader of the new world. I will."

"Is that right" Spike said with a laugh, "You sure have a strong opinion of yourself, but I think you underestimate people a little too much, hence your problems with Darla and Harmony, not to mention Alastair. But, we can wait until after we stop the slayers to discuss the chain of command, because until they are dead, there will be no new world to lead."

"Why did I get mixed up with a couple of self important windbags like you two." Ethan said with a hardy laugh, "You seem to forgetting a rather important detail, so let me refresh your memory." 

Spike, Airlia and the others watched as Ethan began to transform into Arcystic. 

"Stop him!" Spike yelled at Gwendolyn.

"No, I don't think so." Gwendolyn said, throwing up a shield around both Spike and Airlia, "As you can see, some things have changed since we last chatted Spike. Ethan has come up with a more agreeable solution to this power vacuum that seems to be developing. As much as we despise each other, we found we despise you even more and trust you even less, so from now on you are working for us or, you die. It really doesn't matter what you choose, in the end, your second life as a vampire is all but over."

Spike and Airlia tried everything to penetrate the shield, but had no luck at all. 

"This is a big mistake Gwendolyn dear." Airlia said angrily, "Ethan may be a formidable opponent, but you are not. Magic can't save you when you sleep. Magic can't save you when a knife slits your delicate throat. My magic is equal to yours and soon this shield will be down and there isn't an army around that can save you from me then. In fact why don't we see how you stand up against my elite body guards."

As Airlia motioned for her guards to attack, Ethan had already morphed into Arcystic, towering over everyone as if they were ants, "Well, it seems your mighty body guards are having second thoughts about attacking us now. I wonder why that is."

Arcystic swiped his large hand across the ground and took out about 20 of Airlia's guards instantly, then stepped right in front of the shield holding her, "Give me one reason I shouldn't stomp you both into oblivion?"

"That's simple, you need my army." Airlia stated boldly, "You know as well as I do that the slayers will not be alone. The watcher's council will be involved, Riley Finn and his annoying group of misfits will be involved as will Angelus. You need to swarm them to have a chance and without my troops, you're no match for anyone."

"She has a point Ethan." Gwendolyn shrugged.

"Yes, but if we let either of them go, they are going to be a threat to us as much as to the slayers. It may not be worth it in the long run." Ethan said as he danced around the shield, "You know what I'm thinking? That your troops might have more loyalty to survival than to you. After all, survival is an instinct and now that they see what's in store for them if they dare to fight me, they might be willing to join the winning side. Curious proposal isn't it Airlia? Do you really think you've earned the loyalty of anyone with your iron fisted leadership? Are you willing to bet your life on it?"

Spike watched Airlia's reaction and knew the answer before she said a thing, "Oh this is just great. Listen Ethan, you know that I can help with the slayers. I don't even know Airlia, so keep me out of your little feud would ya."

"Awe, but Spike old boy, you are a threat and right now, you are under control." Ethan pointed out by stomping around the shield a couple more times. "Now, I think it's best we deal with the slayers first and then we can deal with who should be leader, if and when we have something to be leader of, because if we fail, we'll all be dead and it won't matter one bit."

"That's a wise choice Ethan, now let us out of here." Airlia demanded, smashing her purse against the shield.

Spike did the same, which annoyed Ethan even more, so he stomped around the shield harder this time, which damaged the shield so much it collapsed, freeing both Spike and Airlia. 

Airlia used the time to cast her own spell, disappeared from sight as did her army, while Spike took the time to rush towards Gwendolyn, taking out numerous guards along the way, but eventually getting his hands on her.

With Gwendolyn in his arms, Spike looked up at Ethan, "Without Gwendolyn's magic, you are just a giant beast that will eventually be knocked off, so let's stop the power struggle and get on with our plan. In fact, I don't want a part of this new world, but I do want to take out a couple more slayers and a very annoying god before this is all over."

"Why the hell didn't you just cast another shield?" Ethan yelled at Gwendolyn.

"It's not that simple." Gwendolyn explained, "It takes a tremendous amount of energy to cast such a powerful spell, and if not for your idiot stomping, it would still be up, so stop yelling at me you big buffoon."

"This is all becoming rather tedious. I ask myself why I need either of you and can't come up with one reason." Ethan boasted as he stepped towards them, "I should know better than to trust such low lives for such an important task. I believe I've been going about this all wrong. We don't need to kill the slayers, the Deparis attack will do that for us. Why risk death when there's no need? So, what I'm going to do is wait and see how this all plays out and when the dust settles, I'll surface to reclaim my rightful spot as the new ruler of this worthless planet."

As soon as he finished speaking he lifted his huge leg up off the ground and with a loud howl, he slammed it back down on the ground where they both were standing, but as his giant foot came down, both Spike and Gwendolyn dove to get out of the way, but only one escaped alive.

** Angel's Apartment  
**

Angel returned to his apartment, opened the front door, walked into his living room and stood silently as he saw five women sitting around his fireplace in various stages of undress.

Lilah spotted Angel first and jumped to her feet, zig zagged past Fred and Eve and stopped in front of him, "I guess you are wondering why your house is overrun with women?"

"A little, not that I mind, but why are you here? Haven't you heard the latest news?" Angel asked as he continued to check out his new house guests.

"Oh, you mean the Deparis fleet that's on its way to destroy earth? Oh yeah, we know, but we just had a run in with that Gwendolyn Post woman and we needed to relax for a bit before we did anything else. Besides, aren't you and the slayers taking care of this?"

"I don't even know the slayers, but I don't think two teenage girls are going be able to stop 500,000 warships." Angel explained as he walked over to his fridge. "Your mother is the target of these ships."

Lilah turned away in disgust as Angel began gulping down the fresh blood, "First off, gross with the blood, second, why do they want my mother? What did she do?"

"Well Lilah, perhaps you'd like it better if I fed off you?" Angel asked with a grin as he finished off his pint of blood.

"No, but it's still not something I want to watch." Lilah said, still not facing Angel.

"Oh I'm done." Angel said, shaking his head as he put his glass in the sink, "I never pictured you as the squeamish type. I almost thought you'd enjoy the sight."

"Well I don't." Lilah said bluntly, "Now why are they after my mother?"

Angel pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down facing Lilah, "From what I've learned, it appears she killed their leader and they're a little pissed off about that. Especially the son of the leader, who is the one intent on eliminating your mother at all costs."

"No, this can't be true." Lilah protested as she paced back in forth in front of Angel, "Even if it is, there had to be a reason. My mother is not a violent woman. I mean look at her, she's harmless."

"That's where the details get a little fuzzy." Angel added, as he pulled out his cell phone, "It's possible she did have a reason, but that isn't stopping the son from wanting revenge and with an army this size heading our way, he just might get it."

"I don't believe this. Let's go talk to her." Lilah said, walking towards the living room, "You can ask her for yourself what happened. I don't know where you got your information, but who better to ask than the person who supposedly did this?"

"Okay, just give me a second, I need to make a call. If anyone can help us now it's our favorite demon witch, Anya."

Lilah rolled her eyes at the mention of Anya's name, "Come on Angel, she's hardly the type to want to help anyone for nothing. Besides, you know you don't trust her and you trust Gunn even less, so I hope you have a backup plan, cause I don't want to have to count Anya to save me or my family. There has to be another way."

"Just go away and give me some privacy." Angel said, dismissing Lilah as he turned and made his call.

Anya sat up from her bed, looked over at the ringing cell phone on the table and with a quick flick of her finger was holding it in her hand, "Anya here, who just woke me from the most amazing dream?"

"So sorry Anya, but this is business and I'm sure you're aware there's not much time for small talk."

"Ah, but considering you're about to ask for my help, why not humor me?" Anya said as she crawled back under the covers.

"I'm not big on small talk Anya, so what do you want to talk about?"

"Oh I don't know, um, oh fine, let's just get to the point. You want me to help stop the Deparis attack. You do realize that you'll have to work with Gunn on this. He's part of the package. Can you do that? Can big bad Angel put away his ego to save humanity?"

"I don't have an ego. Angelus did." Angel snapped, "I'm just here to help and I can't do that if there is nobody to left to help, so if it takes working with that punk Gunn, then so be it."

"He's not a punk, he's a valued and very intelligent associate and you really need to work on your attitude about him." Anya scowled, then stretched out in her bed, "I can't even remember when this feud started between you to. But I know it wasn't over anything important."

Angel sat up in his chair to defend his decision, "Hey, it's important to me and Gunn knows it."

"Oh my god, I remember now. Gunn told me when he first approached me about working with me. I know I laughed then, but he seemed to take it seriously to, so I didn't push it. Seriously Angel, what is it with men and their ego's. To think you'd throw away a possible friend and ally over a video game."

"Look, you'd never understand. It's not just a video game and it's not about winning or losing, it's about cheating and he cheated and he knows it and I can't tolerate that. Not as Angelus and not now."

Anya couldn't stop laughing, "You are so funny. Cute, but funny. Let me get this straight, you are saying Gunn somehow fixed a tiny little game so you'd get a penalty that cost you the game? That's so insane it's stupid. I'd have a tough time doing that and I'm a powerful wicca, so to think Gunn did this is just ridiculous and I think you know it, but you're too stubborn to admit you lost on your own."

"I'm not stubborn at all." Angel yelled, "Besides, you weren't there. It wasn't even a PENALTY. How could I get a pass interference call when I was nowhere near his receiver? It had to be rigged. He's capable of it. He's got all that super knowledge in his head."

"Oh Angel, get over it. It's a game." Anya said, still laughing at the absurdity of it all, "I talked to Gunn, he denies it and I believe him. He admitted it was a strange call, but it's not like you ever beat him before that anyway, so be happy you were close one time and let it go."

"It's not that easy." Angel said, letting out a sigh as he recalled the events. "I know that when it happened, we both were full of adrenaline and the tension was high so maybe I did say some things I should've have, but once we got going there was no stopping us. It's a wonder we didn't kill each other. Anyway, now's not the time to hold grudges, so I'm willing to let the past stay in the past and try and move on if Gunn is."

"I'm sure he will be, but don't ya think you might owe him an apology for accusing him of cheating?"  
"Oh right, that." Angel mumbled, "Guys don't need apologies. Does he?"

"I'm sure it would help.

"Okay, but I don't understand why. I said I'd move on, you'd think that be enough. Oh well, where is he? Let's get this over with and start working on a plan to stop this attack."

"He's downstairs, but you should do this in person, so where can meet?" Anya asked as she slid out of bed and walked over to the mirror.

"As much as I hate to say it, but that idiot Riley Finn might be a good place to start." Angel said reluctantly, "If he's telling the truth, he may have some kind of ship that could at least get us close to this fleet. Then well...then we'd need someone who's a bit better at diplomacy than I am, who could talk to them and see if there is a way to get them to turn around and go back home."

"What about the slayers? Do they do diplomacy or do they just kill things?" Anya said as she methodically combed her long blonde hair.

"We can try them, we'd have to go to Sunnydale though. Why not meet there. Riley's complex is just outside Sunnydale, so we can go there after."

"Good, I'll meet ya there soon." Anya said with a smile as she snapped her fingers and instantly teleported to Sunnydale.

Angel watched as she disappeared from sight, then stomped his foot, "Oh and you couldn't just take me with ya? Nice Anya, real nice."

Buffy and Faith stepped out into the living room to see everyone milling about. She took Faith by the hand, walked through the maze of people and then stepped up on the fireplace so they could see everyone.

"I'm glad everyone is here." Buffy said as she smiled at everyone in the room, "As you all know by now we are in the middle of a very serious situation. Our first job is to find a way to stop this fleet from attacking. Then we'll need to find a way to eliminate Spike, Ethan, Gwendolyn and whoever else is working with them. It's not going to be fun or pretty, but we need to do this. So, why don't we start with Giles and the mayor. What are your suggestions?"

Giles stepped forward, removed his glasses and took out some folders from his briefcase, "Let me start by saying I wish we were meeting under more pleasant circumstances, but since we are short for time let me get to the point. What we know about the fleet heading our way has all been gathered using long range censors, but the size of the fleet is enormous and would appear to possess enough firepower to destroy most, if not all of earth. We are unclear as to how much damage the earth's military can do to this fleet, but if they are forced to use nuclear weapons to destroy it, the fallout from that could be even more devastating than what the Deparis fleet could do. We do believe however that the earth's major military forces are well aware of this fleet and will be doing whatever they can to prevent it from reaching earth."

"That's nice Giles, but Buffy asked for suggestions not a recap." Faith said bluntly.

"Yes she did and I am getting to that." Giles said with a slight smirk, "Alright, we know that Riley Finn has been working on and has probably completed his own version of a spaceship. While we have yet to verify its location, we are aware he has been working on this for years and are confident it is our best hope of reaching the fleet. Once we are within talking distance it'll be up to you two to find a way to get them to back off and make them see this is not the answer."

Buffy looked at Faith and then back at Giles, "Maybe I'm missing something here, but you just said you don't know where Riley was building this ship, so how are we going to use it? How do you know he'll let us?"

"Riley has the same goal as we do, he just goes about it differently." The mayor added as he sipped his coffee.

"Fine, let's say we get this so called ship, what then?" Faith said shrugging her shoulders, "Why are these demons going to listen to anything we say? If they just want revenge and have sent a half million ships to ensure they get it, I don't see how they are gonna stop cause we ask nicely."

"Ah Faith, you're not seeing the whole picture." The mayor said as he walked up to her, "You don't need to know these demons to make them see the error of their ways. Some things are universal. Everything we know about the Deparis race points to their desire to survive. They are warriors, but they are also a race that as spent centuries trying to improve their quality of life. I don't sense them being willing to give that up. My sense is that there's more to this assignation than we've been told."

"Well it's not like we can interrogate someone who is a million light years away." Faith said sarcastically, clearly not impressed with the mayor's little story.

The mayor chuckled at Faith's "True, but you do have access to one vital piece of this puzzle, Marisella. Perhaps it's time we found out from her what really happened."

"I thought the council had her in custody for over a year? Why the hell didn't you ask her about this then?" Buffy asked, not trying to hide her annoyance one bit.

"Buffy, we did interrogate Marisella when we found her, but she simply wouldn't respond and so we got nothing out of her. We had no idea why she was here until just recently." Giles said, feeling strangely like he was on trial all of a sudden.

"That's just great." Buffy said to Giles, then turned her attention to Faith, "Is there any way you can get in touch with Gwen and get a message to her that we need to speak to Marisella?"  
Faith paused and put her finger up to her lips, "Hmm, oh right, I think I know of a way to get in touch with her. How about a phone call? It's not magical, but it just might work." She added with a big grin.

Buffy shook her head and gave Faith a friendly push, "Very funny, I meant besides that of course."

As they continued their little bantering a portal opened up behind everyone and seconds later, Marisella, Fred, Lilah, Gwen and Eve all appeared. 

The mayor stepped forward to greet the 5 women, "Well, now we can all hear what Marisella has to say about this."

"Hear what I have to say about what?" Marisella questioned as she looked at the large group of people gathered in Buffy's living room.

Lilah stepped in front of her mother, "Just one second here, what exactly is this about?"

"It's okay Lilah, we need to find about something Marisella has been accused of." Faith replied as she walked through the crowd and stood in front of the women.

"Accused of? What are you talking about?" Fred asked, still confused about what was going on.

"Hi Fred." Buffy said, smiling back at the tall brunette, "It appears that the reason this fleet of Deparis ships is headed to earth is to revenge the death of their leader. Someone they say Marisella killed. We need to hear Marisella's side to this story."

"My mother did not kill anyone and I can't believe you'd think she did." Lilah said, quickly defending her mother.

"Please Lilah, let them ask." Marisella said softly as she stepped in front of her daughters and made eye contact with Buffy, "I think it's best we get this out in the open so we can move on and deal with the real threat."

"Thank you." Buffy said as she led Marisella to the comfy couch and sat down beside her, "Okay, I guess it's best to just tell you what we are hearing. It seems the Deparis race says you killed their leader and that's why they are willing to destroy earth just to eliminate you. Is this true?"

"No, it's not true." Marisella said without hesitation, "In fact I've never been on their planet. My only meeting with their leader took place on our planet a couple years before he was killed. It was a very productive meeting and we left on the best of terms. His death was a shock to all of us, but it was not a surprise. It was widely reported that his life was in danger, but not from me or our people, but from someone close to him."

"I told you she wasn't a killer." Fred said as her and Lilah moved over to be with their mother.

"I'm glad to hear that, but we still have a fleet of ships headed this way and need some answers." Buffy said, as she turned back to Marisella, "How do you know it was someone close to him that killed him?"

"Since we were in the same region as the Deparis demons, we knew we had to keep on eye on them and so we did what anyone would do, we found a way to do that. At first we tried using our own people to infiltrate their inner circle, but it took up way too much energy being morphed for long periods of time so we found the next best way to do that was using a more barbaric, yet effective way to keep an eye on them, we bribed some of his guards with a very lucrative deal and that's how we got our information."

"That's nice, but can we just get to naming names so we can move on here." Faith said, not much for long stories.

"Yes of course." Marisella added with a smile, "In the last 5 years we heard rumblings that the son of the leader was anxious to take over the thrown. He was not trusted by many, but feared by all for his ruthless nature and violent temper that saw many die at his hands, all because they disagreed with him. As his power base grew so did his desire to be the leader and it became clear to everyone that he would not wait until his father died a nature death. When we heard of his death, we all knew who did it, as did the Deparis people themselves, but there was nothing they could do. He did try and blame this on me and created a rather poorly crafted video that tried to make it look like I killed him, but anyone with eyes could clearly see it was a horrible manipulation. Either way, he was intent to get rid of me so he could prove his power to the people and increase his reputation as a brutal leader."

"Well, this is insane then." Xander added, "Why would he go through all this trouble if he was the new leader and had no real opposition?"

"Although most everyone suspects him of killing his father, he believed that if he could convince them of some plot by our people to kill him, he could shift the blame to our race. Then by avenging his fathers death he would gain some real support within his ranks. Once this all happened, he attacked us within hours, so we didn't have much time to proclaim our innocence, as we were too busy fighting to stay alive. Since then, I've had no contact with my people and since these ships are on their way to your planet, I have to believe he's found a way over all these years to make his people believe him."

"Just a second, how old is this guy? Hasn't Marisella been on earth for over a 100 years? Do demons live forever or something?" Xander asked, looking around for anyone to respond.

"In some cases they live for even longer." Marisella nodded.

"Now that we know what happened, how are we going to convince an army that their leader is a killer?" Faith asked, as everyone in the room looked around waiting for someone to come up with an answer.

"I have a way." A female voice said from somewhere in the house.

"Who's there?" Buffy asked, looking around the room.

Anya walked in with Gunn by her side, along with some other heavily armed security people, "There is a spell I can cast on this demon that will make him tell the truth. I have to be in the same room with him at least to make sure it works. If someone can get me to him, I can get him to tell the truth about all this."

Faith walked up to Gunn who was standing in front of Anya, "Out of the way."

Gunn put his long arm out and put his hand on Faith's head, "I don't think so little girl. Back off."

"You shouldn't have done that." Buffy smiled, "Faith doesn't like to be touched like that."

Gunn laughed, "I'm really not concerned about what she likes. Slayer or not, she is not getting near Anya."

Faith looked back at Buffy, smiled and then quickly grabbed Gunn's hand, twisted it almost completely around, then as he winced in pain, she gave him a swift kick to the stomach, then followed that up with an elbow to the back, and as she landed on top of him, her knee was planted on the side of his head, his arm was in serious pain being held up against his neck and Anya was enjoying the whole thing a great deal.

"You can let him go now. You've made your point. He was just doing his job, well, or trying to." Anya said with a smile as she looked down at Gunn, "I told you not to mess with the slayers. As you can see, looks can be deceiving."

After releasing her hold on Gunn, she stepped up and stood in front of Anya, "Why exactly are you willing to help? You're a demon to, right?"

Anya nodded, "Yes I am, but I've grown quite fond of this silly planet and don't wish to see it annihilated because of some power hungry demon."

"We don't really have a lot of options right now." Buffy said as she moved up beside Faith.

"I guess, but I think we could find a way to do this without a demon's help." Faith said, still uneasy around Anya.

"By all means go ahead and try. I was just offering a much simpler solution."

Faith walked up to Anya, "Let me ask you this, do you have any way of getting close to those ships? Is there some demon way of teleporting there?"

"Even if I knew where they were I simply can't snap my fingers and teleport you and your odd group of friends there. It doesn't work like that." Anya pointed out rather bluntly, "I can teleport places, but I can't bring anyone with me. But, I do know of a way to get a small group of people to a specific location, such as where those ships are."

"Good, that's all I wanted to know." Faith said as she turned to Buffy, "Well, now we need to figure out how to get through to these demons once we get there."

Before Buffy could respond, there was a massive explosion outside, so immense it shook everyone in the place. Running to the front door, they took a peak outside and were shocked to see a gigantic spaceship firing missiles down at Sunnydale.

Fire and smoke filled the sky, buildings burning throughout the small town, while people ran through the streets screaming and running for cover. 

The mayor pulled everyone back inside, "We need to get to our underground compound. It's safe and we can find out why someone didn't warn us about this ship. Everyone, we need to move now. "

"We need to find Riley and find out if he has some ship we can use." Buffy said to the group, knowing someone would take up the challenge of finding Riley, "Faith, I have an idea. Come with me."

Dawn rushed out to her sister, "Buffy don't leave me. I don't want to lose you."

Buffy wrapped her arms around her sister, kissed her cheek and grabbed her hands, "You're not gonna lose me. I need you to be safe. I have to try and stop this attack. It's what I do now. I love you and I'm going to be seeing you very soon. Please, stay with the rest of them and be safe. Okay?"

"Okay." Dawn nodded, her eyes filled with happy and sad tears as she waved goodbye to her sister.

"Buffy, where are you going?" Giles asked as the rest of the group began piling into the numerous cars outside Buffy's house.

"I don't have time to explain, but I just thought of a place Riley might be. He mentioned two very tall redwood trees up in the mountains. Do you have any idea where that might be? He has a lab there and it could easily be big enough to hold an aircraft and I just know he's there." Buffy said, covering her ears as another loud explosion rocked her house.

Giles tried thinking as the explosions continued, "I can't say for sure, but I believe one of our people mentioned some extremely tall trees near the Mottled Peak, just north of here. I don't know if you can get there by car though."

"Thanks, that's a start." Buffy smiled just as some debris flew past them and crashed through the window. "Just get these people to safety. Trust me. We're going to stop this attack."

Giles nodded agreement, gave the two slayers a hug and then ran outside, hopped into a car and the convoy of vehicles drove off in a hurry.

"Okay, where's this place you're talking about?" Faith asked as she followed Buffy outside, into what looked like a war zone.

"We'll find it. Let's just get moving."

Buffy got inside her mother's car, turned the ignition and sped off. As they made it out of the city, they noticed the ship that had been attacking the city had stopped firing missiles and had turned its sights on Buffy's car.

Hitting the gas, Buffy swerved to avoid one missile, but the second one landed just in front of the car, sending it veering of the road to the right, losing speed just as it made contact with an old farm house.

Both girls exited the car and began running into the large forest just behind the farm house. Stopping behind a couple large trees, they looked up at the ship as it hovered above.

"What now?" Faith asked as she huddled close to Buffy and looked over her shoulder, "If one of those missiles ever hits close to us we are toast. We might be slayers, but we weren't meant to withstand that kind of force."

"I know." Buffy said anxiously, turning around to see Faith smiling back at her, "We need to get up this mountain and hope they give up. They can't see us, so it's our only chance."

"I think what we need is a diversion. We can't afford to have both of us killed. One has to go up the mountain and the other needs to get the attention of the ship and draw it away."

"That's crazy." Buffy yelled.  
"Yep it is, but do you see an alternative?" Faith asked, staring back at Buffy knowing she was right.

"I hate it when you're right." Buffy smiled, "Well, I hope you run fast, cause it's a long way up that mountain."

"That's so sweet of you." Faith said as she leaned in and pulled Buffy close, "Since this might be the last time we see each other I wanted to say a couple things first."

"You pull me in close and say you want to talk? I'm crushed." Buffy said in mock hurt.  
"I'm trying to be serious here." Faith snapped as she ran her hands through Buffy's long blonde hair, "I just need you to know that if we don't make it, I will never forget this time we've had together. I feel this connection to you that's stronger than anything I've felt in my life and it's not just a slayer thing. That's big, but I think if we ever get out of this mess we really need to do something about this attraction we have for each other."

Buffy slid her hands down and over Faith's ass, "So you think I'm attracted to you? You've got a healthy ego on ya. I like that. Of course you're right. But, nothing is going to happen to use. When this is over, I want nothing more than to spend some quiet time with you, just us. Alone. Somewhere warm and secluded. I see a beach, some sand and just one little bed for the two of us. How's that sound?"

"I'm gonna hold ya to that B." Faith said with a shaky smile, "Now give me a kiss and let's do this."

Buffy smiled, pulled Faith close and kissed her soft lips. They savored the kiss and the moment, continuing it on as they kissed harder and deeper, both knowing it could the last kiss they ever shared.

Faith pulled away in a flash, looked up at the spaceship, and then back at Buffy, "This is my destiny. Whatever happens, make sure you kick the ass of that guy in the ship. I love you." She said as she pushed Buffy to the ground and ran out into the open field, waving her arms at the ship above. 

"Faith!" Buffy yelled, "Faith, come back here. Faith!!!"

Buffy could only watch as a series of missiles flew down in Faith's direction, causing huge explosions and craters to fill the field. When the dust cleared, Buffy looked on in horror, wondering if the worst thing imaginable had just happened.

As she began to cry, she saw something in the distance. It was Faith. She turned towards Buffy, "You didn't think I'd make it easy on them did ya? Now get moving so I don't die for nothing."  
"Faith." Buffy screamed, but could only watch as Faith began running until she disappeared from view.

Her heart wanted to turn and run after Faith, but she knew that the only way to save Faith and the others was to get up that mountain, so she turned and began the journey through the forest, running at top speed in a quest to find Riley's lab.

**End of Chapter 50**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

**Outside the wreckage of the Summers' House**

Spike stood looking at what remained of the slayers house, laughing at the possible demise of many future enemies. Taking out a cigarette, he lit up, leaned against one of the pillars that had remained standing and waited.

He waited for the footsteps behind him to move close enough and when they had, he turned lunged towards them and grabbed the person by the throat, teeth set to dig in for his next meal.

"Wait!" Lindsay yelled.

Spike kept his teeth in place, "If it isn't the annoying lawyer I've come to despise."

"I can still help." Lindsay said, as he felt Spike's teeth push ever so slowly into his neck. "I've got resources and I'm the only one left standing at Wolfram & Hart that can help you."

"Lindsay, you've yet to be of help to me, but you've have proven to be highly expendable. Don't worry, I won't make you one of us, this is no life for someone like you. Just close your eyes and this will be quick and painless."

"No!!!" Lindsay screamed, his last act before his lifeless body crumpled to the ground at Spike's feet.

"Sorry old pal, I just couldn't risk another double cross. I'm sure you understand." Spike said, as he continued to puff on his cigarette, but quickly backed off as he heard a car drive up.

Glory drove up and parked outside Buffy's house. Joyce got out and looked in awe at what was left of her house. Her first thought was her children, "OMG, what if?"

"They aren't. I promise you that." Glory said as she held Joyce close, "I don't know where they are, but I know that there are no bodies in or around this area. One of the perks of being a god."

"Thank you, that's such a relief." Joyce sighed as she looked around the rubble, "But where are they?"  
"If you want to me use some of my other powers I will, but I know you want me to stop using them, so just let me know." Glory asked, willing to abide by whatever Joyce wanted.

"No, if they are okay, then I'll find them." Joyce said, turning her attention to her home that was no in shambles. "I can't believe this. It's a mess."

"Oh, it's not as bad as all that." Glory said as optimistically as she could, walking through the rubble to where the front door lie in pieces, "I know a good carpenter. Or, if you are in a hurry, I could have this place up with a wave of my hand."

"You don't know how tempted I am to let you do that, but it wouldn't be right." Joyce said as she stood beside Glory and looked at the

Glory took one step inside what used to be Joyce's house and came face to face with Spike.

"Well, look what I found." Spike said as he stepped out from behind a section of wall that was still standing.

Joyce walked up and stood beside Glory, "You don't look so good. Having a bad day?"

"Actually yes, I am." Spike nodded, "But, I think I just found a way to find that light at the end of the tunnel."

"Really?" Glory asked with a laugh, "Let me guess, you think you kill yourself a slayer and a god? You must've hit your head really hard."

"Maybe, but I've always taken great pride and ridding the world of its pretentious slayers. Why not do the same to former slayers. As for gods, well, I knew you'd be a problem so I found a way to take care of that." Spike said with a confident smile.

Glory spotted some vamps moving in behind Spike, "You think some low life vamps are going to stop me? You really have no clue what kind of powers I possess do ya?"

"In fact I do." Spike smiled and took a couple more steps towards to the two women, "Ever since I learned I'd be working with you, I've been looking for a way to neutralize you. I do that with anyone who could pose a threat to me or my plans."

"Good, show me what you got before I squish your puny little head into the ground."

"I'll deal with you later." Spike said as he walked up and stood in front of Joyce, "I always regretted not being able to kill you when you were a slayer. It was the one thing that always haunted me. You were supposed to be the one who moved me to legendary status. Then I would take care of the chosen two and I'd be immortalized throughout the world."

"Oh god, shut up." Joyce said rolling her eyes, "You are delusional. You could never kill me before because you were always in hiding, afraid to face a slayer at full power. Knowing it would be your last act as a vampire. I'm sure you think you can take me now, it has been a while since I've been active, but some things you just don't forget."

"I'm glad. Keep up that spirit, it'll make killing much more enjoyable." Spike sneered and then turned to Glory, "Just to make sure you don't interfere, I've got something for you to."

Behind the vamps a group of men in white lab coats appeared. They were carrying a large container with countless little gadgets on the front and back of it. Sitting it down they turned a few knobs, clicked a few of the buttons and nodded towards Spike.

"Excellent." Spike smiled as he looked back at the two women with a big smile on his face.

**Watchers Council Underground Facility**.

Inside the facility Giles, the mayor and Wesley each took a small group aside in an effort to organize things better.

Giles pulled Harmony, Darla, Dawn and Andrew to one side. The Mayor took Fred, Gwen, Eve, Lilah and Marisella. While Wesley took Willow, Cordelia, Xander and Anya.

The Mayor stood up at the front of the room, "Well, we are all caught off guard by this attack. We have no time to waste. Our job is to find a way to stop it. We know the slayers will be doing their part, so now it's time for each of us to step up and do what needs to be done."

Giles stepped up beside the Mayor, "Each of our three groups will have a specific task to complete. One will stay here and monitor things on the main screen. Learning more about this ship that is destroying Sunnydale. Finding it's weaknesses and letting the slayers know about it. I also want this group to find out more about the rest of this supposed fleet. If all their ships can cloak and move through the earth's defenses, we are serious trouble. I want you all working together to find out as much information as you can as fast as you can."

Wesley took his turn at the front of the room, "The second group will lead a reconnaissance mission to two separate power source we've found just outside of Sunnydale. We believe one is where Riley's ship is located. We believe the other is what is keeping this Deparis ship cloaked. We want this power supply destroyed so they can't leave earth again."

The Mayor stepped forward again, "Our final group will be heading to a second Watchers Council facility that has been infiltrated by the Deparis demons. We need to retake it. Our sourced say there was a very deadly battle for the facility the left many of our people dead, but also left a great many Deparis warriors dead as well. Our last estimate believed there were less than 10 in control of the facility. We have valuable information there that cannot get into their hands. If they know what we know, they will be that much harder to stop."

"Okay, my group will be staying here and doing the research." Giles said as he looked at Darla, "I know you and Harmony want to be out in the field, but we need you here. I expect that you'll both do what needs to be done."

"Of course Giles." Darla said without hesitation. "Just let us know where you want us to start."

"My group will be doing the recon mission." Wesley said as he took his group aside, "I have an armored personnel vehicle outside. I want everyone equipped with some our finest armored vests. I don't want to lose anyone, so let's all be careful."

"That leaves us." The Mayor said trying to stay upbeat, "This is a potentially deadly operation and I have no authority to ask any of you do come with me, I certainly understand if you want to stay behind and help with the research. That is just important, if not more so."

"I'm going." Fred said quickly.

"So am I." Eve answered, smiling at Fred.

"I believe I could be helpful as well mr Mayor." Marisella said as she stepped forward.

"Mom, are you sure you're well enough for this?" Lilah asked, still concerned about her mom's failing health.

"I'll be fine." Marisella smiled.

"I'm going. If these demons are susceptible to electricity, I can be very helpful as well." Gwen smiled, wiggling her fingers in anticipation.

"Well okay then, let's get each of you some gear and then we'll head out." The Mayor added as he led the way through the many corridors to the armory.

**The Summers' House**

"Glory, I don't like this." Joyce said, grabbing hold of Glory's arm and pulling her back outside the house.

"I don't know what that thing is, but I'm not afraid." Glory smiled, happy to reassure Joyce, "If you let me use my powers I can take care of them."

Smiling back at the pretty blonde god, "Of course you can when you're life is in danger, but leave Spike, he's mine."

"By all means." Glory smiled.

Spike turned to his group of vamps as he saw Glory walk towards them, "Now. Use it now. Hurry up you incompetent fools."

The men looked up just as Glory waved her hand and incinerated every single vamp, turned to the humans standing by the device and knocked them flying, then turned her sights on the device, quickly turning it into a ball of flames as Spike looked on in disgust.

"Bravo." He yelled sarcastically, "That's fine, I didn't need that anyway. Bring it on Glory."

"Not so fast." Joyce said, stepping in front of Glory, "It's just you and I Spike. No toys, no gods, just us. Let's get this over with, I have to find my girls."

"Yeah right, like I believe your little blonde girlfriend is gonna stay out of it once I start pummeling you into the ground." Spike said, backing up into a fighting stance.

"She knows this is my fight." Joyce said smiling at Glory, "If you kill me, well, she'll let you go, for the time being. Eventually she will kill you, but you will get to enjoy this victory for a brief moment. So, quit stalling."

"Okay then. Slayer number three about to go down." Spike laughed as she moved in a circle as Joyce moved towards him.

They continued this little dance until Spike made the first move, lunging towards Joyce, but a quick shift to the right and Spike missed completely. Joyce kept her eyes on Spike, watching his every move, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

Spike smiled the whole time, enjoying the moment immensely as he tried to put another slayer in the grave. There was little action as neither would make the first move, choosing to wait for an opening before attempting what could be a fatal attack. 

Glory looked on nervously, trying hard not to interfere, but fearing the worst each time the two exchanged blows.

Joyce noticed Spike trying to taunt to her with verbal jabs, but instead of affecting her concentration, it lowered his and as Spike was about to let loose another insult, Joyce made her move. Lunging forward in a flash, she grabbed Spike around the waist and knocked him to the ground. They struggled on the ground, rolling back and forth fighting for the upper hand.  
Spike tried to get his hands around Joyce's neck, but she constantly broke free until she had turned the tables, squeezing her arm under Spike's neck, holding him in place long enough for her to pull out her stake and drive it into his chest.

Nothing but dust fell to the ground as Glory rushed over and put her arms around Joyce, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just a little beat up." Joyce said as she looked her house, "I need to find my girls."

"Of course, I can help with that you know." Glory said, always willing to use her powers.

"I know you can, but I can't keep relying on your powers to solve things for me. If we are going to have any chance together, you know what you're going to have to do."

Glory knew what Joyce was referring to and couldn't help but be sad, "That's a big step for me. I sometimes wonder if I could survive without them."

"You know you can." Joyce smiled, hugging Glory tightly, "I have all the confidence in the world about that."

"Well, I wouldn't do it for anyone else in the world, but for you, I'm willing and ready to do this. But, let's wait until we find your girls okay?"

"Maybe you're right, I don't think I can stand not knowing where they are much longer."

"Good, let me help this one last time. It's not an instant thing though, I need some space and some quiet to do this, but then I'll be able to pinpoint where both Buffy and Dawn are."

"Let's head out of town. There's an old farmhouse just past the city limits that provide the quiet you need."

"Okay, lead on." Glory smiled and helped Joyce back to the car.

**Somewhere outside Sunnydale **

Faith ran and ran and ran, turning sharply and moving side to side, trying to find some cover as missiles rained down all around her. Finally, she spotted an old deserted building up ahead and ran towards it. She looked around for some kind of underground bunker, but found nothing.

Turning to look up at the sky, Faith noticed the ship had stopped firing, yet was hovering over her almost daring her to move. 

Knowing her options were limited, Faith decided it was time to make a stand, so she began yelling up at the ship, taunting it, sick of waiting, sick of running, and very ready to face whatever happened next.

Minutes past as she stood looking up at the large ship. She figured either they had ran out of ammo or were just replacing it. That's when she saw something falling from the ship. Not just one thing, but many of them. As they got close to the ground, parachutes opened and about a dozen armed Deparis soldiers began rushing towards her. 

Not wanting to lead them back into Sunnydale, Faith turned and ran to the right, hoping to reach the river before they caught up to her. As she reached the river, she let out a disappointed sigh as she saw it was nowhere deep enough to hide in, so she took one look over her shoulder, saw the pack of soldiers still chasing her and headed across the river.

It was a good 15 minutes later when her legs began to give out, her energy depleted and her options running out.

Stopping in front of a large rock, she stopped, turned around and faced the incoming assault. The soldiers didn't fire as they moved within range, choosing instead to surround her.

Out of the middle of the pack a single Deparis soldier began to walked towards Faith. He had on full military gear, but it was clear he was in charge.

Standing in front of her the demon smiled smugly, "You have caused me a great deal of time human. You can save your own pathetic life if you just tell me where Marisella is. I have a feeling you know."

"If I did know I wouldn't tell you. You're scum. No, you're worse than scum."

"I do not know what this word scum means, but I can tell from your tone that it's not a pleasant term. Why do you protect Marisella? She's not human. She's not your concern. She killed my father and she will die. How many more of your people die before I find her, is up to you now."

"It's funny you say she killed your father. We've been doing some research of our own and think you killed him." Faith said confidently, looking around at the other soldiers as they took in her comment.

"That is absurd. Who told you this? Was it Marisella? She's not to be trusted. She's a liar. All Glascophys lie. Now tell me where she is and I'll make your death quick and painless. Hold out and you will wish you had never been born."  
"You don't scare me, you're a coward. You'd have to get your whole posse here to hold me down, cause you aren't man, or I should say demon enough to do it yourself, are ya? You're just a ruthless killed who has no value for life, even your own father."

"If all humans are as insolent as you, I'll be happy to kill them all."

"You aren't gonna live that long." Faith said, staring down the leader. She then turned her attention to the soldiers? "How many of you know he killed your leader? How many others has he killed for his own personal gain? How many of your fellow soldiers has he killed simply for disobeying him? One thing I've learned, is that people like him have a pattern of evil. They use fear to get what they want, but I also know they sure as hell aren't respected or trusted and that doesn't make for much loyalty among their followers. My point is simple, if you don't all want to die and I doubt you do, then you need to stand up and put an end to his reign of terror. You know he killed his own father, your real leader. It's time to show what kind of people or well, demons you are."

"Don't listen to her. She's lying." He said, turning to his men, "They are all lying. Marisella killed my father. You all saw it. Now just kill her and let's find Marisella so we can end this once and for all."

The soldiers didn't fire their weapons and began talking amongst themselves in small groups. Much to the dismay of their leader.

"Do not disobey me. Death is the option for those who do not follow my orders."

One of the soldiers stepped away from the leader, while another stood behind him. One by one the soldiers all chose a side and when it was all said and done, there were only two standing beside the leader, while the rest stood in front of Faith.

Faith stepped up on the rock she was leaning against, leaned over a couple shoulders and smiled at the angry leader. "I'd say you lost this little test of will. Why don't you just drop your weapon and end this with what little honor you have left."

Fuming openly at the desertion of his troops, the leader aimed his weapon at the men in front of Faith, "You made the wrong choice. You know I won't go down without a fight and you know that when the other ships arrive, you will all pay for your treason. Until then, you enjoy your time on this filthy planet, but we aren't finished yet. Each and every one of you will die a slow death. Remember that as you protect this human, who doesn't care if you live or die."  
Pushing a button on his jacket, the leader disappeared along with the two soldiers who stood by him.  
Faith ran out to where he'd been standing and looked on in disbelief. Turning back to the 10 armed soldiers standing in front of her, she smiled, "Well, I owe you guys a big thanks for what you did. I know it couldn't have been easy, but I promise that when this is all over, you'll be able to go home to your planet."

One of the soldiers stepped forward, held out a gun and handed it to Faith, "You'll need this."

First thing she noticed was how heavy the weapon was, she needed all her strength just to hold it, "Um, I'm not really a gun a person. Thanks though, but why don't you keep it. I have my ways of protecting myself."

"Whatever you wish." He said, taking back the weapon and putting it over his shoulder, "Where are your soldiers? Where are your ships? We were told the earth had defense systems that would make it impossible to do what we've done."

"That's a good question." Faith chuckled, "I have no idea how a ship that big could go unnoticed by anyone. Sooner or later, word of this attack will get out and you will see our power."

"We cloaked our ship, but did not believe it would work so effectively. We do know of your nuclear capabilities, but also knew that if we made it through your defenses, you'd be less likely to use them on your own people."

"You may be right, but you have no idea the other weapons we possess. Your ship looks impressive, but I don't believe it will be able to withstand some of our fighter planes. Anyway, right now I need to get to find my partner. You guys don't have any transportation do ya?

"If you mean a land vehicle, no."

"I didn't think so." Faith nodded, "I saw you jump out of the ship so it's pretty hard to carry anything like that with ya."

"We do have a hovercraft near where we first spotted you. If we get there quickly, we will take you where you need to go."

"Just what I wanted to hear." Faith smiled, turned and began the long run back to the mountains.

**Outskirts of Sunnydale  
**

Wesley drove the armored vehicle close to the power source, stopping about a mile away, parking the vehicle in the midst of the forest. Getting out of the vehicle, Wesley grabbed a weapon, put on his helmet and waited as the others did the same.

"Okay, we don't know how many demons that ship can hold, but we have to prepare for the worst. Our estimates, judging by the size of the ship, put the crew at about 600. We have to believe they have some stationed by this power supply, so we need to be careful."

"Well, I hate to step on anyone's toes." Anya started to say, but soon began laughing, "Oh who am I kidding, I love it. But, what I was going to say is, why don't you let me take care of the power supply? There's no reason any of you have to die or even risk your lives when I could do this job myself."

"That's very admirable of you Anya, but I'm not sure that's the best solution."

"Hello Wes?" Cordy interjected, "I don't know about the others, but I like her idea. A lot. She is some super witch or something, right? So what's the problem?"

Wesley pulled off his helmet and walked up to Cordy, "The problem is that Anya was last seen working for Wolfram & Hart. Nobody knows if she can be trusted. No offense Anya, that's just how things are."  
"None taken Wesley, but I'm not on anyone's side." Anya explained, "I do like this silly planet of yours and do not want it destroyed. I happen to know Cordy and some other humans and I've grown somewhat fond of them. I'm not sure why, but I don't wish to see them die and certainly not when I could prevent it with such ease."

Wesley thought about his options and quickly realized Anya was a risk he'd have to take, "Alright, I'll go with you and you three can wait here."

Xander stepped in front of Wesley, "Hey, I didn't come all this way to be a passenger. I can help."  
Willow rushed up to Xander, "Stop trying to be a hero. I don't want you do die, so you can stay here and protect us, okay? How's that?"

Cordy laughed, "Xander, protect us? Now that I'd love to see."

"Shh." Willow whispered, "I just don't want him to get hurt."

"Okay." Cordy whispered back, "I think Xander should stay. I look around and it doesn't look very safe in this area."

"Oh, well maybe I should stay here." Xander said, more than willing to do stay behind and protect his best friend.

"Good, now that we have that settled, it's time we headed out." Wesley said with as much authority as he could muster.

"Oh fine, you can come, just don't get in the way." Anya sighed as she began walking towards the power supply.

**End of Chapter 51**


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

**Outside a heavily damaged warehouse near the pier**

The Mayor stopped the large armored vehicle behind a trio of semi trailers and stepped out onto the street.  
"This is the place." The Mayor said as she looked towards the warehouse, "Okay, this is really not a job for civilians and even I'm past my prime when it comes to leading any mission of this sort, but I believe if we stick together we can succeed."

Fred stepped forward all decked out in military gear, "I don't know how much help we'll be, but I know our mother is very capable of creating powerful spells that can protect us if needed. She's also been teaching us how to shape shift if that will help."

Marisella quickly jumped in, "No, I don't want either of you shape shifting, it's not worth the risk. We will do this without needing that. If I know anything about the Deparis race, I know their soldiers are heavily armed, but poorly trained."

"That should work in our favor." The Mayor said, stopping to check his map, "We need to have a look inside and find out how many we are up against. Then we can figure out a plan to deal with them."

"Let me go." Gwen said brimming with confidence, "I'm pretty good at sneaking into places I shouldn't be. It's a hobby I picked up."

Lilah stepped in front of Gwen, "I don't think so."

Gwen pushed Lilah back, "Don't try and stop me. I'm good at this. Maybe if you had a little faith in me, you might see that I'm really very good at what I do."

"I just don't want to lose you." Lilah said, stepping closer to her sister, "You're finally back in my life and I can't stand the idea of you being gone again."

"I know you're concerned, but you can't put me in a room and keep me there forever just because you're afraid. I'm not. I want to live life and I want to be part of this mission. It's my planet to. I don't want some demon race destroying it so I will do what I can to help. I'm sorry, but you're just gonna have to trust me on this."

Marisella pulled Lilah gently away from Gwen, "Lilah, I believe Gwen is capable of doing this. I can feel it." Marisella then turned to Gwen, "She's smart, strong and confident. You need to let her be herself."

Gwen smiled at Marisella, surprised yet very happy that she had so much faith in her, "Thank you Marisella. I'm glad you see what my own sister can't."

The mayor checked his watched and tapped his feet a few times before stepping into the fray, "I hate to interrupt a family discussion, but we really do need to get moving here. If Gwen has the capabilities to do a little recon and she's willing to volunteer, I don't have the luxury of turning her down."

"I am volunteering and I will find out what you need to know. Just give me 15 minutes to find a way inside, then I'll keep you posted with this walkie talkie thingy. Okay?"

"Okay, be careful. I don't want to lose anyone." The Mayor added as he shook Gwen's hand.

"Wait." Lilah said, running after her sister, "Well, it looks like I'm outnumbered, but don't hate me for worrying about you. It's what sisters do."

"I don't hate you, I just wish you'd see I'm not the little girl you remember." Gwen said, doing her best to get through to Lilah, "I've had years to develop some rather useful skills. I don't just mean with my magic fingers. I know it may not be something to be proud of, but I've learned to get into buildings, bypass security and well, the rest isn't important now, but I'm telling you I can take care of myself. Okay? Look into my eyes and you'll see that."

Lilah did as she was asked and looked deep into her sisters eyes and to her amazement she really did see a confident young woman standing in front of her. "Well, you sure have no shortage of confidence, but I always knew that. As hard as this for me, I'm going to trust you and believe you know what you're doing. Just make sure to come back to me."

"I promise." Gwen smiled a sigh of relief as she hugged her sister, waved at the others and made her way towards the building.

** Riley's Lab in the Mountains**.

Buffy's eyes almost popped out of her head as she made it to the top of the mountain. She pulled herself up the last few feet and rolled away from the cliff. Her path was blocked by an object in her way.

As she turned to get up, Angel held out his hand, "You must be Buffy, the slayer."

Buffy stood up on her own, "You are who?"

"Oh, I'm Angel." He said, holding out his hand, "I'm a good vampire. I think that's what I'm called now. I've got a soul and all that fun stuff."

"Yes, I've heard about you. Can't say I'm all that impressed." Buffy said sarcastically as she walked past Angel and looked around for an entrance.

"I get that a lot." Angel smirked, "Anyway, I'm guessing you're here to see the buffoon known as Riley."  
Buffy turned back to Angel, "I have business with Riley. I don't know why you're here, but you're not needed so why don't you go back to LA and save some damsel in distress and start racking up your redemption points."

"That's not a bad idea. I might just do that when I'm finished here. I can almost see it now." Angel said as he began to imagine what his life could be like, "Angel, the helper of the people. I could start my own company. Yes, that's a great idea."  
"I'm so glad." Buffy said rolling her eyes, "Now, could you get lost so I can do my job."

Angel raised his eyebrows, "You have some anger issues, or is men issues?"

"How about vampire issues?"

"But I'm good now." Angel declared, again, "Why do I have to keep explaining this?"

Buffy put her finger to her lips, "Hmm, let's see, could it be because you've spent hundreds of years killing people? What was your reason for changing sides again? Boredom? Wow, that's such a heartwarming story."

Angel rolled his eyes at hearing his life story told in such a negative way, "Okay, so it doesn't sound all that great, bottom line is I'm here to help and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. So we can either sit and trade insults or we can work together and find Riley and flying saucer."

"It's not called a flying saucer!" Buffy yelled, getting more annoyed with Angel by the second. "Are you still in the 1930's? He has a space craft of some kind. Just stay out of my way and you can tag along if you want."

"That's mighty kind of you Buffy? Is that your name? Buffy. Buffy. Buffy. Sounds like an adult film star? Are you sure you're the slayer?" Angel said trying to hold back is laughter.

Buffy could tell he was trying to get a rise out of her, so she took a deep breath and smiled, "Well, if I were an adult film star, I know I'd never be doing any movies with you."

"I'm crushed."

"I bet you are, now where's the entrance?" Buffy asked, while surveying the surroundings.

"I just drove up here a minute ago."  
"Drove up?" Buffy asked, shaking her head as she thought of her long climb up he steep mountain, "Whatever, Riley has to know what's going on, so let's just look around. There has to be a way inside."

They began searching the area for anything that might point them in the right direction. Scouring the entire length of the hillside got them nowhere. There wasn't so much as a footprint on the ground, a leave out of place or anything that suggested anyone worked anywhere near the mountain.

While they retraced their steps, they heard a noise nearby. Stopping to see where it was coming from, they didn't have to wait too long as the ship fired a missile right at them. 

Angel turned into vampire form, grabbed Buffy and ran as fast as he could away from the incoming missile. Running to the far edge of the hillside, he stopped to see the missile crash into the side of the mountain and explode in a ball of fire.

Buffy pulled free of Angel's grip, noticeably annoyed, "What the hell was that? I don't need you to protect me. Not to mention I can run faster than you can. Don't ya get vampire speed or something? Or is that just in bat mode? You can change into a bat right? Try that next time."

"You are an ungrateful little brat aren't ya?" Angel laughed, "Let's go see if that missile created an opening we can use."

"Stop acting like you're in charge." Buffy sneered, moving past Angel to go check on the damage.

"How did you get to be a slayer anyway?" Angel asked as he followed Buffy, "Did ya win an essay contest in school? Maybe you lost. Maybe you got it cause your cute."

"Awe, you think I'm cute? That's so perverted. Aren't you like 200 years old? Well, back off gramps." Buffy grinned as she came across the charred section of forest.

"You sure have quick wit, but I'm not really 200 years old. This body I'm in doesn't age, thankfully." Angel said as he looked over the rubble.

As they looked through the mess, the one thing they noticed was that the mountain itself wasn't damaged at all. Upon further examination they realized the grass and forest the covered the mountain was all fake.

When they pushed it aside they saw the real reason the mountain wasn't damaged. It wasn't made of rock, dirt or any such thing, there was a thick metal wall that went on for what seemed like miles, that looked to be titanium or some other powerful allow.

They knew that there had to be some type of entrance, so they began a thorough examination of every inch of the massive wall, something they both knew could take hours, if not days to complete, time they simply didn't have to waste.

Before they even had a chance to begin, a section of the wall opened up and Riley walked out with a large group of his men behind him, "Hello Buffy. I figured you'd find your way up here. Not sure why you brought the vampire with you though."

Buffy smiled at the sight of another human, "Riley, there's no time for games, I need access to your ship. You must know we are being attacked by at least one Deparis ship, but more are on their way. Forget about Angel, just take me to the ship."

"Hey, I'm in this to." Angel said, feeling a bit ignored.

"Shut up." Buffy yelled, then continued in on Riley, "Does your ship even work?"

"The answer to that is, I don't know." Riley said, shrugging his shoulders, "We were planning on testing it later this summer. We also thought the Deparis fleet was more than a year away, so we wanted to do this right. Fact is we believe it's ready, but you just never know. I won't have anyone risking their life on an untested ship. I'll take it up and hope it flies."

"That's not your choice to make." Buffy stated firmly, "I'm going. I need to get these demons to see they are making a mistake and that their real threat is their current leader."

"You're going to have to do it another way." Riley said, refusing to budge.

"We'll see about that." Buffy said with a questioning tone and then slipped under Riley's arm, grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him face first into the wall just inside the entrance, "Now, stop wasting my time."

Riley turned his head towards the angry slayer, "Buffy, don't you get it. I'm not trying to stall. I want to help, but I don't want to put your life in danger. You're the slayer. You're needed around here. I can get into that ship and if something happens, the world still has you and Faith. I'm not martyr, this is just logical."

"God, who are you, Spock? Screw logic." Buffy snapped, "Answer me one question, do you believe the ship will be able to fly?"

"Yes, but…"

"That's all I need to know. If we don't stop these demons, there won't be anything left of this world to save. So let's move."

Riley let out a deep sigh, "Alright, but let me go on record as saying I'm against this 100."

Buffy released Riley from her grip, "That's nice, now that you've covered your ass, can ya show me this ship of yours."  
"Sure, it's in the basement. Follow me." Riley said as he headed down the long corridor.

"Hey, what about me? I'm part of this to." Angel yelled as he stood outside the lab, blocked by about 30 men with weapons, crosses and some holy water just in case.

Buffy turned, smiled and waved at Angel as she stepped into the elevator with Riley.

**Watchers Council's underground facility**

Harmony and Darla frantically searched through thousands upon thousands of communication reports, all from outside the earth's atmosphere, looking for something from the Deparis fleet.

Dawn and Andrew, with a little help from Sigmund, searched through the council's extensive database on both the Deparis and Glascophys, hoping to find something that might help communicate with the two races.

Giles spent his time trying to track the ship that continued to attack Sunnydale, as well as tracking the huge fleet that continued to move closer to earth. 

While Giles could only watch as the ship above Sunnydale fired missile after missile down at the innocent people below, he spotted something strange on the long range scanner.

He magnified the screen to the highest possible magnitude, studying what he saw for a great deal of time before he was convinced it was true. He didn't know how or why, but the Deparis fleet was being attacked and dismantled at a rapid rate.

"Darla, come here. Have a look at this." Giles said excitedly.

Darla rushed over, followed closely by Harmony, Dawn and Andrew, and they all looked at the monitor as the dots that used to be Deparis ships disappeared off the screen one by one by one.

There were still a huge amount of ships left, but the fact the fleet was under attack was a huge sign of relief for everyone. 

Just as they began to celebrate, more bad news appeared on the other monitor. 

"Oh no." Giles said as he looked over as red dots began appearing above Sunnydale. First it was just one, then another and another and soon the sky was filled with red dots as the celebration soon turned to silence.

"OMG, there must be a 100 ships up there now. How can they get past the earth's defenses?" Harmony asked, a question that everyone wanted answered.

Giles didn't let anyone see his heart sink as he witnessed the new threat appear on the screen, but instead continued to be strong in the face of impending doom, "They may have cloaked to get into our air space, but now that they've uncloaked to attack, they are no longer invisible to the radar and I have no doubt that a response is on its way from our own fight planes."

"Yes, but can they get here in time?" Andrew asked, as he hid behind Dawn.

Darla looked at the two monitors and then back at Giles, "We know someone is attacking the rest of the Deparis fleet, so won't this make the ships above us even more intent on destroying Sunnydale? I mean, they have nothing to lose now if they see the rest of their fleet is being obliterated."

"That's entirely possible." Giles said calmly, "We need to find out who's attacking them. If it's the Glascophys, there might be hope after all. We still need to get in touch with them. So let's get back to work and find a way to do this. We need to be able to talk to both sides if we ever want to stop this from turning into WWIII."

Everyone knew the seriousness of the situation and didn't need to be told twice as they rushed back to their stations, determined to find a solution.

** The Summers House**.

Glory stood in the middle of what used to be Joyce's living room, sorting through some rubble, so she could complete her spell.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Joyce asked as she watched Glory gather some rather strange ingredients from the area.

"Sure it will." Glory said confidently, "Just stand back, I'm a little out of practice."

Joyce stepped back until she was outside the remains of her house, watching as Glory began channeling her energy and as a bright ray of light rose above her head, Glory turned and smiled, "All done."

"Good, are they okay?"

"Yes, they both are alive and well." Glory said quickly, knowing how happy it would make Joyce, "Buffy is in the mountains just outside Sunnydale, while Dawn is at the Watchers Council's underground facility on the outskirts of town to the north."

"I know Buffy can take care of herself, but I need to see Dawn and make sure she's okay."

"Then let's go." Glory said as she took Joyce by the hand and led her back to the car.

**Outside of Sunnydale, near Deparis power supply source.**

Anya walked casually up to within 30 yards of the power supply, looked over the area, made a note of the 6 Deparis soldiers standing guard, then turned to Wesley, "This should not be a problem. Wait here and I will take care of the guards."

"Just one second." Wesley said loudly, trying his best to sound like a leader, "I believe I am in charge of this mission. Could you kindly show me some courtesy and let me explain my plan?"

"No." Anya said with a smile, "I'm the one with the powers here and I will do this my way and it's best you stay here. Remember Wes, this isn't about you, it's about accomplishing our goal, right?"  
Wesley nodded his agreement, "Yes of course, I want that to. Please be careful, I do want to make sure everyone comes back safely."

"Awe, that's sweet Wes and I promise I will be back." Anya said and then vanished. 

Wesley kept his eye on the power source as well as the guards around it, watching closely for Anya to appear. Moments later Anya appeared behind a lone soldier on the west side of the camp, grabbed it around the neck, twisting rapidly as the soldier dropped to the ground.

Anya did the same for two more lone guards, but then had to deal with the three standing very close together directly in front of the power source.

Moving to within striking distance, Anya began chanting and as the ended, she aimed her hands in the direction of the three guards. Instantly a cloud of smoke engulfed them, causing them to panic and run in all directions to escape the powerful fumes. 

With nobody around, Anya moved up to the large pulsing box, made sure it was the power source, and then stepped back, began chanting again and once more aimed her hands at the box.

A huge explosion took place, sending the power source into a million tiny pieces. As the smoke cleared, the three guards ran back to the camp. It didn't take long for them to spot Anya and they immediately began opening fire on her.

Just as quickly as she appeared, Anya blinked out of the area, causing the guards a great deal of confusion. 

Appearing back beside Wesley, Anya smiled, "No more power supply."

"Yes, I see that. Good job Anya." Wesley said as he patted her on the shoulder.

"I need a little break before I can do any more witchcraft, those spells do drain a lot of energy, so if you have a plan as to what to do next, now's the time to say it."

"Right then." Wesley said quickly, mulling over his options in his head. 

Anya stood by impatiently tapping her foot on the ground while keeping her eye on the three soldiers who continued to make their way towards them, "Like today Wes. We have some visitors, so either you have a plan or we run."

Wesley looked at the oncoming soldiers, tried to come up with a plan, but he came up empty, "Well, running seems like the best option at this time."

"Good plan Wes. Good plan." Anya sighed.

They turned and ran back towards their vehicle as shots rang out behind them. It was a fairly long jog back, but they made it ahead of the slower soldiers, ordered everyone into the armored vehicle waited.

As the soldiers approached and saw the armored vehicle in front of them, machine guns aimed right at them and missiles attached to the side, they made a hasty retreat.

Wesley let out his own sigh of relief, "Well, without a power supply on the ground they are severely hampered and if we can get our own ship into the air, we should have a much better chance at defeating it."

"So what now?" Xander asked as she manned the machine guns.

"I say we head back to the underground facility." Wesley said.

"Okay, but I was thinking we could go help the other group. The one at the other facility. They probably wouldn't mind some reinforcements." Xander said, then almost whispered, "After we take Willow and Cordy back that is."

"Hey, we have as much right to be here as you do." Cordelia yelled.

Willow was quick to second Cordy's sentiment, "Yes, she's right, we are here to help in any way we can. So, if you know where this facility is Wes, drive on."

"Alright, it does seem like a good plan." Wesley said as he took a look in the rear view mirror so he could back up.

When he looked, all's he saw were Deparis soldiers. Before he could panic, Faith walked up to the side of the vehicle, "Hey, nice ride."

Wesley smiled as he saw one of the slayers, "Faith, I'm glad to see you're okay. Where's Buffy?"

"She's up in the mountains trying to get access to Riley's ship." Faith said, pointing towards the mountains, "I could use a ride up there. How much room do you have in here? I've got some Deparis guards who have defected that could use a ride to."

Wesley stopped to assess the situation and actually came up with an idea, "Listen, you take the armored truck, and we'll walk to the facility. It's only a couple blocks away."

"Okay, thanks." Faith said as she opened the door to let everyone out, "You guys be careful, that ship is still up there and it's still firing missiles."

"We'll be careful." Wesley said as he stepped away from the vehicle.

Faith looked around at everyone, then spotted the soldiers standing behind everyone, "These guards are interested in seeing their leader pay for his crimes. They will help you. I gotta run, I'll see everyone when this is over." With that Faith drove off and the others began to walk back towards Sunnydale.

**End of Chapter 52**


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

** Second Watcher's Council Facility near the pier**.

Gwen had made her way inside the large building, using the air conditioning ducts as a way to move about, taking notes on the various rooms, including how many guards were around.

As she made her way back to the main control room, she noticed a commotion and then shots rang out and bodies began hitting the ground.

Bending down as far as she could, Gwen tried to find the source of the commotion. In the back entrance there was a massive figure swatting away at the Deparis soldiers with it's huge arms. 

It picked up one soldier after another, tossing them violently across the room, while other fired upon the large demon, with little or no affect. 

In the middle of the action, Gwen felt her cell phone go off, "Now is not a good time."

"Gwen, what's going in there? We are hearing gunfire. Who are they firing at?" The mayor asked as he looked on with binoculars.

"I don't know what it is, but it's big. Some demon I guess. I don't know. It looks like something out of a Godzilla movie. It's that big."

Only one thing came into the Mayor's head, "It has to Arcystic."

"Who the hell is that?" Gwen asked, still watching the non stoop action below.

"It's a very powerful demon intent on destroying earth. They have the same goal in mind, but obviously have no desire to work together. I believe Arcystic will prevail regardless of how many soldiers they have."

"If he's taking care of these guards, then what are we supposed to do?" Gwen asked just as bullet flew past her head, putting a large hole in the ceiling above her.

The mayor couldn't help hear the bullet as it flew past the cell phone on its way to the ceiling, "Gwen, are you still there? That sounded very close. I think you need to get out of there and we'll figure out how to deal with Arcystic later."

"I'm fine. Just a hazard of the job." Gwen laughed, I'm on my way back."

The Mayor turned to tell his group what was going on and spotted Wesley and his group walking down the street.

Hesitant at first at the sight of the Deparis soldiers walking with Wesley, the Mayor soon realized they were not holding weapons up or acting in a threatening manner, he just wasn't sure why.

As the two groups converged in the middle of the street, Arcystic came smashing through the watcher's council building and stood staring down at everyone below. 

Arcystic took a few steps closer to the large group, picked up a bus at the side of the road and squashed it with his hands and laughed as he tossed it over the groups head, "Look at all of you. So much fear. So many meals. I'll save you and the Mayor for last Wesley. I want to make sure you see your people suffer and die right before your eyes and then I want to slowly kill each of you for keeping me out of the watcher's council all those years ago. I'll give you a few moments to say goodbye to all your friends. Oh and if you want, I can take care of those Deparis demons for you to."

"Everyone move back." The Mayor ordered.

Wesley turned to the group, "I want you all to get out of here. Go back to the other facility and find Giles. That place is secure, even from the likes of Arcystic." 

"I don't think so." Anya said, "I don't work for you and I don't take orders from you. More importantly, I might be your best chance at stopping Arcystic."

Marisella stepped forward, "Please, let me help. I can create a shield that will protect us. I can also do what I can to damage this demon."

"We don't have enough information on Arcystic to know what his weaknesses are. I'm not sure now is the time to test some of these theories out."

Anya said as she moved to the left and began chanting, "Oh it's exactly the right time."

"Anya." Wesley yelled, "At least wait until we set up some kind of plan."

"Oh fine, but make it quick, I don't see him waiting very long."

"Marisella, just how big and how powerful is this shield you can create?" Wesley asked while checking his weapon.

"With my daughters help, I can create a shield that can easily protect all of us. I'm not sure if Anya's magic will work inside it. I know I can do some damage to this demon, but I don't think I can do enough to kill it alone."

"I don't need to be the shield, I can create my own and see what I can do against this giant demon. Unless he has some very good magic defense that I don't know about, I'm thinking he's going down."

"I'm glad you're so confident." Wesley said calmly, "You should get behind us though. Let us take his initial attacks, that will give you time to work your magic."

"Yes, that's not bad idea." Anya said, slipping in behind the big group.

"Okay Marisella, whenever you're ready." 

"Girls, we've done this once so I think it should be even easier this time. Hold hands and concentrate. When we become a shield, we will then try some simple fire attacks, but let's worry about that later. Close your eyes and begin."

Everyone in the group watched as Fred, Lilah and Marisella began to slowly transform into a large oval shield. 

Arcystic laughed as he saw the group become covered with a transparent shield, "You think that will stop be? Oh how foolish you are." 

Taking a large heavy step forward, Arcystic leapt into the air and came crashing down on the shield. Instead of crushing the group in one fell swoop, Arcystic did minimal damage and hopped back down, "Well, you withstood one attack, if you think you can withstand many more you are fooling yourselves."

"I'm afraid he's right." Marisella said softly, "This will last longer than he thinks, but if he isn't stopped or slowed down, I fear this will last less then 30 minutes."

Anya took it on herself to slow down Arcystic, standing behind a pillar, she began chanting, as her chanting reached a fevered pitch, she jumped out and sent a powerful beam of light directly at Arcystic.

As it hit him, he stopped, looked back at Anya and was about to move forward when he realized he couldn't move. 

With Arcystic frozen in place, Anya began to unleash a barrage of attacks on the oversized demon. Fire, ice, lighting all began hitting the demon in rapid succession, but none of them seemed to have a serious affect on his thick hide.

Switching to another approach, Anya used roots to hold him in place, while she sent swords, knives, bullets and anything else she could think of flying towards Arcystic, none which had any affect. 

Arcystic laughed at Anya's feeble attempts to damage him, while trying to free himself of the only spells that did have an affect on him.

Anya looked puzzled, "Well, this isn't going as well as I'd like and I'm starting to feel drained, so I think you should get out of the shield and run while you can. He'll be frozen for good hour. But, after that, I don't like our chances. I'll keep trying here, but you need to get of here."

"I think Anya may have a point. Let's get back to the other facility. We'll formulate a plan of attack from there."

Just as Marisella removed the shield, Arcystic freed himself from Anya's rooting spell. Everyone on the ground looked up at the giant demon as he laughed hysterically at how easy his job just got.

Before they had a chance to run, a car came speeding around the corner, speeding up as it moved towards Arcystic, then as it got within a few feet, someone jumped out of the car and the car crashed directly into the large demon.

Aside from causing a slight scrape on his giant feet, the car did no damage whatsoever. 

Stepping out from the street, Glory and Joyce walked up to the demon, "Well, he's pretty big isn't he?" Joyce asked as she looked over Arcystic.

"Yep, he sure is." Glory nodded, "We better make sure he falls somewhere safe. We don't want him landing on anyone when he does hit the ground."

"What have we here?" Arcystic asked as he turned his attention to the two women to his right, "A former slayer and a disgraced god. Hmm, I sense you humans need some new heroes."

"I guess we'll see about that." Joyce said as she made a signal to Glory and the two women began walking in opposite directions while moving closer to the massive demon.

Anya had recouped enough energy to cast one more rooting spell, eliminating Arcystic's movement severely as the Joyce and Glory began attacking his feet. 

The Deparis soldiers joined Glory and Joyce in their attack on Arcystic. With a dozen pairs of hands pummeling the demon, he began to feel pain as his thick skin began to deteriorate from the force of the blows.

The Mayor, Wesley and Xander jumped into the back of the armored vehicle, searched around for some weapons with Xander pointing out the missile launcher to everyone. 

After some relatively quick assembly, the launcher was ready to go. Xander climbed up to the top of the vehicle with Wesley. They locked the launcher in place, set the coordinates and then set a missile into the launcher and moments later it flew off the launching pad, picking up speed as it went, moving swiftly towards Arcystic's head.

Arcystic spotted the missile at the last second, avoiding a direct hit by inches as he ducked, causing the missile to graze the much harder skin of his shoulder. 

"Anya, we need him locked in place all the way up to his head, is there anything you can do to freeze him, even for a minute or so?"

"I can try, but my energy is really low right now, I will try though." Anya said, taking a deep breath as she attempted one last spell.

Glory, Joyce and the Deparis soldiers continued to work on Arcystic's right foot and this his left, breaking the hard outer shell with constant attacks, finally causing some reaction from Arcystic in the form of angry screams and vicious swipes of his hands.

Anya sent her spell hurling towards Arcystic, landing directly on his neck, instantly stopping all his actions for a short period of time.

Wesley and Xander had the missile set up and ready to launch and as they saw Arcystic come to a complete stop, they fired one more missile and watched as it once again flew directly towards the demon's head.

Everyone looked on as the missile inched closer and closer until it finally made contact and erupted in a fiery explosion that lit up the block.

Arcystic began flailing his arms about as the fire began to engulf his entire body, but in a matter of seconds he had turned into nothing but dust on the ground. 

There were no cheers when Arcystic turned to dust, just a strong sense of accomplishment, but they all knew he wasn't the real threat.

As if they needed a reminder, the Deparis ship appeared overhead, stopping only to prepare a missile for launch. 

With no way to know where it would hit, the whole group began running in different directions. One missile hit dangerously close to the mayor and Lilah as they scrambled inside a nearby building. Another missile hit just in front of Glory and Joyce, who were able to change direction and head down the street.

When there was a pause in the action, Xander looked up to see a horde of Deparis soldiers dropping from the ship in parachutes. There were at least 50, perhaps up to a 100 soldiers all heavily armed and ready to kill whoever get in their way.

Faith arrived at the mountain to see Angel standing outside, numerous guards blocking his way inside Riley's lab. 

"Where's Buffy?"  
"She got to go inside with that jock scientist Riley."

"Good, that's where I need to be." Faith said as she walked past the guards without stopping.

"Hey, what the hell is this? I'm one of the good guys now. What do I need to do to get some respect, send out a memo?" Angel said, pushing closer to the guards.

Faith turned and laughed, "You'll never get in here so why you make yourself useful and go help the city. It's still under attack. We'll do what we can to stop the ship. You take care of anything on the ground."

"Fine, but things better change soon because I don't like being kept away from the action." Angel said, mostly blowing smoke, but also telling the simple truth.

Riley spotted Faith on his sureveillance camera and moved over to his speakerphone, "Faith, take the elevator down to the basement. Turn right as you come out, follow the corridor until you see the red arrows and then follow them until you get here."

Nodding up at the camera, Faith hit the elevator button and waited.

Buffy continued to look at the gigantic ship that filled the entire basement. It wasn't like the Deparis ships or any of the fighter planes she'd seen on TV, it was more like a space shuttle, but even larger. 

It was also armored and fully equipped with the most sophisticated weapons available. 

"Okay, Faith should be here soon, but I really don't like the idea of putting the slayers' lives in danger. I keep telling you I can pilot the ship and you can do your work here. If anything goes wrong, we'll still have you to fight the fight."

"That's really nice Riley, but we're going up in that ship so you can stop this now." Buffy said for about the 10th time, "Now, why don't you tell me a bit about how this thing works. How long can it remain in space I guess? If we need to go stop this fleet, we might be in the air a while."

Riley walked up to his pride and joy, "I've equipped it with three sources of power. There's enough fuel for two weeks space travel, but there's also two back up systems in place that would allow potentially unlimited travel, but like everything else on this ship, they haven't been tested fully."

"I'm going to believe that you designed this ship to work the first time out. We need it and there is no other way. I assume there's a way to communicate with Giles or whoever down earth once we get up in space, right?"

"Yes, there's a state of the art communications system that is directly connected to my labs and to the watchers council facilities." Riley said, as she showed Buffy a video of the inside of the ship.

Faith arrived as the video played on the big screen, her eyes lighting up at the size of the cockpit alone. "Wow, that's some toy you got there Riley."

"I know, it's something, I'm excited to take it out and see if performs they I designed it to."

"It better, we can't afford failure." Faith said bluntly.

Buffy stepped up beside Faith and motioned at Riley, "Well let's get moving. Faith's here and we're ready, so lead the way."

"Okay, follow me. First we need to get you two fitted with a couple space suits. Don't worry, they aren't the big huge bulky ones you're used to seeing, they are much more aerodynamic."  
"As long as they don't itch." Faith said as she followed Riley into another room.  
"Take a look around." Riley said, motioning to the countless shelves filled with space suits, "There are enough different sizes, but they are all white as that's just the color of the suits. Pick something that fits and let me know when you're ready."

"Thanks." Buffy said politely and then waited for Riley to close the door before she moved closer to Faith, "I'm so glad to see you. I kept picturing you falling to the ground and I couldn't think straight after that. I knew you were tough and smart, but those missiles came so close before."

"That's over with now." Faith said while putting her arms around Buffy and pulling her in for a very warm hug, "I'm here, with you. Just the way it was supposed to be. It's up to us to save the world. I know we can. I feel so much stronger just standing here looking at you."

Buffy held Faith close, enjoying the moment as much as she could before she had to think of the dangers that lie ahead.

**Watchers Council underground facility**.

Giles kept a close eye on the radar screen, surprised and pleased how quickly the Deparis fleet was depleting, but so was the attacking fleet. What he continued to work on was a way to communicate with the attacking ships, but couldn't find the right frequency.

Darla had picked up an incoming message from one of the Glascophys ships, but each time she attempted to respond, the signal was jammed from an unknown source.  
Harmony began tracking the source of the interference hoping to find a way to block it or if that failed, she looked into the possibility of rerouting the message to a special untraceable frequency. 

While everyone around her was working with the computers, Dawn slipped out the back door.

End of Chapter 53.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

**Sunnydale**

With Deparis soldiers now on the ground, what few people remained from the initial attack, soon began to run or drive for safety. Mostly without being fired upon by the soldiers, as they were set on destroying those who were fighting back.

Angel arrived at the scene in Faith's armored vehicle, spotted Lilah and drove towards her. He got out of the vehicle and helped Lilah and Marisella inside, while he searched around for anyone else that needed help.

Down the street Wesley and Anya were battling it out with a small group of soldiers, doing their best, but slowly becoming overpowered as more soldiers joined the fight. Out the blue, another armored vehicle spun around the corner, different than the ones from the watcher's council, and headed straight at the group fighting in the middle of the street.

When two soldiers stopped to see what the noise was, Gunn stepped out of the vehicle and promptly fired two high powered arrows into their chests, eliminating them instantly, as he then began to pick off the soldiers one by one as they continued their attack on Anya and Wes.

It wasn't until there were only three soldiers left that they realized something was wrong, but by then it was too late as Wes eliminated one, then Anya and with one last arrow, the last one had been destroyed. 

"Good timing." Anya smiled as she greeted Gunn with a friendly hug. 

Wesley nodded at Gunn and held out his hand, "Thank you. I appreciate the help."

Gunn shook Wesley's hand and smiled, "That's what I'm here for."  
"We need to find the others." Wesley said as he looked around at the mayhem.

"Let's stick together and find us some demons." Gunn said, hopping into his fancy vehicle and waiting for the others.

Joyce and Glory were heading towards the underground facility when Joyce's eyes lit up and her smile took over her face, "OMG, Dawn." She said as she ran towards her daughter and wrapped her arms around her, "Are you okay? What are you doing in the streets like this? Don't you know it's not safe here? Where the hell is your father?"

Dawn braced for the lecture, "Don't blame Giles, he's busy working on things and I snuck out. I wanted to find Buffy, but I'm really happy I found you."

Smiling at the sight of her daring teenage daughter, Joyce couldn't help but smile, "Well, I just want to get you somewhere safe, so it's time to turn around and get back to the watcher's council facility."

"But I just got here." Dawn said with a disappointed sigh.

"Then you should have no trouble finding your way back. Now let's go." Joyce said as she put her arm around Dawn and Glory.

Dawn stopped when Joyce put her arm around Glory, "Is she coming? Please tell me you and her aren't…"

"Aren't what?" Joyce asked softly.

"You know…I mean, are you like a couple?" Dawn asked in her round about way, then leaned in and whispered, "Are you sure she's not evil?"

"No she's not evil and yes we are together." Joyce answered quickly, "Now, if that's all the questions can we please get moving, I'm too tired to fight any more soldiers.

"Don't worry little one, you'll get used to me." Glory smiled as she put her arm back around Joyce and began walking down the street.

**Basement of and old warehouse near the city limits.**

It was a momentary calm in the fierce fighting that was going on up above, but for Fred and Eve it was time to catch their breath and reflect on the past.

Sitting under a large steel desk, the two women huddled together wondering if this the last time they'd be seeing each other alive.

"It's getting bad out there isn't it?" Eve asked as she listened to the loud explosions above.

Faith covered Eve's head as another explosion hit nearby. "Yes, I don't think anyone was prepared for this type of attack. But I do know one thing, Buffy, Faith and everyone else are doing whatever they can do put an end this."

"I know they are." Eve said, putting her arm around Fred, "I know we haven't patched things up completely, but the last time we talked I felt like you were ready to give me a chance to prove myself. I hope you know that's all I want."

"I can see a change you. It's not just in what you've done since, but I can see it in your eyes." Fred said as she brushed her hand across Eve's cheek, "I believe you. I think when this is all over and the dust settles, you and I will have to sit down and find out where to go next."

"I want that so much. You won't be sorry." Eve said with a big smile as she hugged Fred tightly.

"It's funny you know, " Fred said softly, her smile returning to her pretty face, "you've been gone for over a year and yet when I look into your eyes I feel like it was only yesterday that we spent that amazing weekend together. I've held onto those feelings since the day you disappeared. I feel them just as strongly as I look into your eyes, and as I touch your soft skin, I wonder what might've been."

Eve smiled as tears of happiness slid down her face, "I think about that every day. I don't want to waste anymore time. I know I said I would wait, but I can't. I see you in front of me looking so beautiful and I can't help but want you. I know this might be too soon, but I just have to do this." Eve said and then leaned over and kissed Fred softly on her lips.

Fred didn't hesitate and kissed Eve back hard, her arms holding her tightly as she savored the lips she'd missed so much. It was an awkward place to be kissing, Fred pushing a sharp metal rod out of the way, as they stretched out on the ground and continued to explore each others bodies with their eager hands.

A loud crashing sound nearby stopped the passionate embrace, as both women got to their feet to see two Deparis demons standing in front of what used to be a steel door. Walking up to the two women, the first Deparis demon looked them over, scanning their bodies with a metal device.

This one works for the Watchers Council." He said as he moved the device from Fred to Eve, "This one has no importance and can be eliminated.

"No!" Fred yelled as she stood in between the demon and Eve, "She is important. She's connected to the slayers."

Moving slowly towards Fred, the larger of the two demons held out his weapon, a small, but deadly looking gun of some kind, "So, you would have us believe that this one here is more important than you?"

"Here on earth, we consider everyone important." Fred said proudly.

"I am not from earth, but back on my planet, everyone has a purpose and place in life and if their place is deemed irrelevant, they are eliminated, so someone knew can take their place and be more productive."

"That's sick." Fred snapped back, clinging to Eve as the demon's conversed.

"We've made our decision, you, come with us." The demon said as he pointed to Eve, "Your friend may work for the council, but her worth is not of high value. You, as a friend of the slayers, may prove useful."

"No, you can't. She's lying. I don't know the slayers. She was trying to protect me. I work for nobody and you can go to hell." Eve screamed and then lunged at the demon, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. 

The second demon stood watching, and as they rolled around the floor. When Eve reached out to the grab the weapon, the demon aimed his weapon at her and was about to pull the trigger when Fred lifted her right leg and with a precision-like kick, sent the gun flying across the room.

Eve grabbed the weapon on the ground and Fred gave the demon on top of her a swift kick to the side of the head, sending him sprawling to the floor. Eve got to her feet, aimed the weapon at the demon beside her and fired. 

Instantly, a laser flashed and struck the demon in the chest, killing him instantly. The second demon picked up his gun from the ground and targeted Fred. Eve turned and fired at the demon first, hitting him in the leg.

He fell to his knees, but still had his gun trained on Fred. Eve pulled the trigger again but this time nothing happened. She pulled once more but still nothing. Knowing Eve was out of ammo, the demon gave her a dirty smirk and laughed, "You should've killed me. Now you can watch your friend die for your mistake."

Eve screamed out and ran towards Fred, leaping directly at her, knocking her out of the way. 

Fred hit her head and was dazed for a few seconds. The demon limped towards Fred, stopping to check on Eve, but soon realized she wasn't breathing, "Well, you humans make very poor decisions. She didn't have to die, yet she did. She took the bullet for you and has nothing to show for it. Why?"

Fighting back the tears as she looked over at Eve's lifeless body, Fred moved her hand across the floor, searching frantically for that sharp metal bar.

"You have nothing to say about your dead friend? Perhaps you understand her mistake and don't wish to mourn her." The demon said as he waved his gun in front of Fred's face.

As her hand made contact with the sharp rod, Fred sat up and stared the demon in the eyes, "You'll never know what it's like to love someone so much you'd willingly give your life for theirs, but she was braver than you'll ever dream to be. Now, my last words to you are, GO TO HELL!" and as she finished her sentence, she lunged forward with the metal rod and drove it deep into the demon's heart. 

With a look of shock covering its face, it turned to dust before Fred's eyes. 

Fred moved over to Eve's body, took her hand and held it close, and this time she couldn't control the tears that came streaming down her face, "Oh god, this isn't fair. Why did you do that? You had nothing to prove to me. Nothing at all. I told you I believed you. Now you're gone. I've lost you forever and I'll never get to tell you I love you again."

Lilah rushed into the room with Angel, saw Fred clutching Eve's hand and knew something was very wrong.   
Fred turned to see her sister looking back at her and she got up and ran into her arms and held her tight. Lilah held Fred close and let her cry herself out.

Angel walked over and checked Eve for a pulse, but turned to Lilah and shook his head no.

After a couple minutes, Fred pulled away from Lilah and almost lost it again as she saw Angel cover Eve's body with a cloth, "Oh god Lilah. I can't believe she's gone. She saved my life. She did. She pushed me out of the way and took a bullet for me. I was right. I was so right about her. I knew that she was good person. But why did she have die to prove it to herself."

"I'm so sorry about Eve." Lilah said softly, finding it hard to keep from crying herself, "I'll always be grateful to her for saving your life. I need you in my life right now. I can't find Gwen. I hope she's okay, but I can't lose you both. I won't."

"I'm not going to die." Fred promised, wiping the tears from her face, "Not now, not ever; Eve gave her life for mine. I simply won't die now. I'm going to make sure her life meant something."

**Riley's Lab in the Mountains.**

Buffy, Faith and Riley sat in the cockpit of the ship, everyone buckled up and ready for the trip of their lives. 

Riley looked over the slayers, got two thumbs up from them and proceeded to start the engine. The roof above them began to open, the engines became louder and louder until the noise was deafening. 

With a flip of a switch, Riley launched the ship into the sky above. It flew upward until it cleared the mountains, then slowly but surely Riley turned the ship and began steering it towards the Deparis ship that was clearly marked on his radar screen.

It didn't take long for Riley's ship to close in on the other vessel as it had stopped in mid air in the middle of Sunnydale. Once it got within range, Riley locked onto the coordinates, flipped a button and almost instantly a tractor beam was attached to the Deparis ship. Rendering it unable to move.

Riley then sent a message to the other ship and wasn't surprised at how quickly they responded.

"Commander Traviock here. You have made a mistake interfering with us. Remove the tractor beam or we will destroy you."

"Really?" Riley said with a chuckle, "I think you are overestimating your ship's power. If you had any type of scanning device you'd see your ship doesn't stand a chance against this ship."  
"We are not afraid of you. We will not go down quietly, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get." Traviock said defiantly.

A muffled ringing noise began to fill the cockpit and Buffy reached into her pocked, pulled out her cell phone.

"Buffy, is that you?" Giles asked excitedly.

"Yes, what is it?" Buffy asked, trying to listen to two conversations at once, "We are right in the middle of a showdown with the Deparis ship."

"Good, we just made contact with the Deparis fleet and the Glascophys fleet, they have called a truce. I tried to make them understand they are fighting a battle for nothing. They agreed to stop but they want proof that Traviock betrayed them and did kill his father."

"Well, can you patch our video feed to both the Deparis and Glascophys? I think I might have an idea."

"Yes, I believe we can. Give me a minute or two." Giles said as turned back to his computer and consulted with Darla and Harmony.

Buffy turned toward Faith and Riley, "We need to keep this idiot talking until Giles sets up a video feed back to his fleet."

"That shouldn't be a problem, I'm thinking this guy likes to hear himself talk." Faith added.

Traviock became visibly upset at being ignored, "I have warned you once, I will not do it again. None of you has to die if you turn over the prisoner of war Marisella."

"That's all you want?" Buffy asked.  
"Yes, once we have her we will take her back to stand trial for murder and justice will be served." Traviock explained.

Buffy paused for a moment, then replied, "Well, that seems like a fair trade off. Us humans are pretty selfish so if you want to take that demon back with you, feel free."

Traviock smiled at Buffy's way of thinking, "You shall be rewarded for your assistance."

"I believe I know where she is, but I just need a couple questions answered first." Buffy asked, still trying to kill some time.

"If I can answer them I shall." Traviock replied calmly.

"Great, what I wanted to know is what will keep you from killing us if we give you Marisella?"

"We have no reason to provoke a war with you humans." Traviock said with a laugh, "We want a prisoner who is hiding on your planet. Once we have her we will have no reason to stay."

"Buffy? Are you still there?" Giles asked.

Buffy turned the audio down while she talked to Giles, "Yes, did you set up the video relay?"

Giles nodded proudly, "Yes it's ready."

"Good, then let's see if we can end this right now." Buffy said, then flipped the sound back up and got ready to bring down a liar, "Traviock, one other thing, we really don't want any trouble, but I just heard a rumor that your fleet has stopped fighting the Glascophys. It seems they wonder if you are worthy of being their leader."

"How could you possibly know a thing about my fleet?" Traviock questioned, showing a hint of nerves for the first time, "It doesn't matter, they will not stop fighting. It's their job. Anyone who stops will be treated as a deserter and killed."

"That seems fair, but aren't you worried that they don't respect you as their leader?"

"No, I don't care about respect." Traviock snapped, "I am the leader and I will rule whoever is left. The reason I left those idiots to fight the Glascophys was because they were all loyal to my father and I knew they would be trouble. Se let them die, I have enough followers that will support me."

"Really? Didn't some of your men already defect on earth?" Buffy asked, trying not to

"They were weak. They don't know what real power is. I will hunt them down and kill them before I leave as a message to any others who dare defy me.

"That's the way to take care of insubordinates." Faith said, "But you do know they all believe you killed your father. Although a couple said they didn't think you had the brains or stomach to actually pull it off."

"That is a lie." Traviock yelled, insulted at the insinuation, "They are jealous they never thought of this plan and envious as to how perfectly I pulled it off. I will not let the weak interfere with my plans."

"Well, if you killed your father, aren't you worried about someone killing you now that you're leader?" Buffy asked.

"My father was a stupid weak man. He wanted peace with the Glascophys. I wanted to conquer them and I will when I return." Traviock said, a look of insanity covering his smiling face, "Nobody would dare try and kill me. My guards are loyal to the death."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Buffy smiled, "You know it's been nice talking to you, but I've decided that you aren't going anywhere but back to your planet to face these murder charges yourself.

"What is this? You have no say in my planet's business. When I return with Marisella even my father's supporters will be on my side. Now, either release my ship or you will face the full force of my weapons."

"Oh you are so annoying. Do you know that? Did you also know that your little confession about killing your father has been seen and heard by your fleet and the Glascophys fleet? You Traviock are officially screwed."  
"That isn't possible." Traviock said nervously, "You are bluffing."

"Just hold that thought." Buffy said, then picked up her phone, "Giles, can you patch a video feed from one of the Deparis ships so Traviock can see and hear that his troops have heard his confession?"

"I believe I can do that. Give me another second." Giles said as he got in touch with the senior Deparis commander, switched some cables around, flipped a couple switches and turned up the volume, "Okay, it's coming through now."

Buffy smiled at Traviock, "Just so you know we are far more advanced than you, here's a little message from one of your former soldiers."

"Traviock, this is Commander Rithian, you have disgraced our people. You have dishonored our people. You will be the one on trial for your father's murder and with this video confession, you know what your penalty will be. Do not make this worse. We are sending two ships to earth to retrieve you."

"No, no, no." Traviock screamed, "They lied. They set me up. It's not me on that video. You have to believe me."

"No Traviock, we do not believe you." Commander Rithian replied instantly, "You have been released from your duties as leader of the Deparis race until the trial is over. We will now return to the peaceful agreement we had with the Glascophys in which we shared knowledge and worked together to achieve our goals."

"I won't have that. I will not work with the Glascophys. I can't stand them."

"Where you're going, you won't have to worry about that happening." Commander Rithian said, standing up in his chair to stare right at Traviock, "Stand down. For once in your life do the honorable thing."

"I have nothing left to lose. I will not go back there to face trial. I will take as many of these disgusting humans with me as I can. When I get back to our planet Rithian, you will be the first to die."

Commander Rithian smiled at Traviock's empty threats, "I welcome the challenge Traviock, but do not believe you have the courage to face me one on one. If you choose to attack the people of earth, I have given them my blessing to destroy you once and for all."

"You are a traitor. I have nothing more to say to you or these humans. May you all die." Traviock screamed and closed the video feed.

"Do not hesitate to use maximum force against Traviock or his ship. It is the most powerful of the fleet." Commander Rithian added as he to closed his video feed.

Riley watched as the large torpedo slots opened on Traviock's ship, locked onto to his ship and prepared to fire, "Time for some evasive maneuvers, hang on."

**End of Chapter 54**


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

** Sunnydale Mall**.

Cordelia sat in one of the change rooms with Willow be her side, waiting for the gunfire outside to stop so they could feel safe again.

As they sat huddled together, they heard a noise coming from outside the change room, it was the sound of feet moving, more than one pair and probably many as the noise became clearer and clearer until someone ripped open the thin drapes and barged inside.

"Oh, it's just you." Anya said with a disappointed sigh.

Cordy looked at Anya with disbelief, "Right, just us. Thanks."

Anya helped Willow to her feet and then glared at Cordy, "Well, you're rescued, so a simple thank you would be nice."  
"Thank you Anya." Willow said, wanting to stop things before they got out of hand.

"You're most welcome Willow. You should stay with us now. Safety in numbers."

"Hey Anya, can I talk to you for a second." Cordy asked in a rather polite manner.

Anya walked up to Cordy who stood far away from everyone else, "What is it?"

"I've been getting some memory flashes of you and I talking and I'm starting to believe you are the reason I have no memories right now. If you did something, could you please undo it so I can move on with my life."

"I knew this spell wouldn't work." Anya said under her breath, "Fine, since it spears you'll be getting your memory back anyway, I will speed up the process, but you have to promise not to hold anything you remember against me, because you'll just take it out of context and think of me as some evil demon."

"Oh really?" Cordy asked with a smile, "Well, one memory I got back was you asking me things about Willow. I don't know why."

"You aren't going to like what you remember. Not about me or about you, so you better think hard on this. The truth is sometimes best forgotten."

"Oh great, what are you saying? I'm bad? Am I evil to?" Cordy asked almost petrified to hear the answer.

"No I wouldn't call you evil. Self absorbed, selfish, egotistical, self important, rude, obnoxious…"

Cordy put her hand over Anya's mouth, "That's more than enough mean words thank you very much."

"Okay, so I exaggerated a little, the point is, oh what the hell, you came to me long ago to help you with some boy troubles, I helped you and asked you to do me a favor in return. I asked you to spy on Willow."

"What? I wouldn't do that. Never."

"Never say never Cordy." Anya said with a smile, "Never is a long time. Anyway, you did agree and you got close to her but in the end you found you couldn't do what I asked because you were falling in love with her. So, you were of no use to me and I wanted to cover my tracks and tried to erase your memory."  
"OMG, I was in love with Willow?" Cordy asked as she smile began to grow, "I knew there was something big between us. I could tell by the way she looked at me and I sure couldn't help the way I felt about her, even now."

"Well, who am I to get in the way to true love." Anya smiled, "You will get all these memories back in time, it was never a permanent spell to begin with. Enjoy your time with her. Living in Sunnydale, you really need to live each like it's your last, so remember that."

Cordy leaned in and gave Anya a hug, "Thanks, I plan on doing just that."

Anya watched as Cordy rushed over to Willow, put her arms around her and kissed her softly on the lips. As she did, she couldn't help notice the tall brunette standing across the room.

Walking up to a still frantic Lilah, "We'll find Gwen. I promise."

Lilah's eyes were sad and tired as she tried to stay positive, "I hope so. We just found her. Fred just lost Eve and I can tell my mother's health is failing, I just can't handle another loss."

"I'm going to do a locate spell. If she's in Sunnydale, I'll find her." Anya said, standing back and beginning another chant.

It took about a minute of bizarre chanting, but as it came to an end Anya's eyes lit up, "She's at the old bookstore just down the street. Let's go."

Lilah couldn't contain her excitement as she put her arms around Anya and hugged her tightly, "Thank you so much. I want to make this up to you, so don' t leave before talking to me."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Anya smiled as they turned and rushed out of the mall.

** Sunnydale airspace.**

Making a hard right, Riley avoided the first missile fired at him and then moved his ship directly over Traviock's, targeted his missile launchers and fired a barrage of his own smaller, cruise missiles directly at the ship.

After the initial hit, Riley then sent a second barrage of missiles at the other missile launcher on the west side of the ship, quickly and easily disabling both launchers and causing considerable damage to the ship's hull.  
"Is that it? What other weapons does it have?" Faith asked as she watched the battle unfold right before her eyes.

"He's got a lot of options left, but only one is a serious threat, the rest rather crude smaller type weapon systems. I do detect three rather large missiles that will cause considerable damage to earth even if he misses us. I thought he might be smart and give up, but I don't think we have a choice. We need to eliminate this ship before he does some major damage to Sunnydale and who knows what else, if those bombs are as deadly my scans suggest."

"What happens if you blow up this ship, won't the bombs detonate anyway?"

"That's the other concern." Riley added with a dry smile, "Our only other option is to attempt a direct hit on their cockpit. If Traviock is killed, I believe the threat is much less."  
"Do you have any technology to get us on to that ship? If Buffy and I can stop him, we might even be able to take him alive and make him stand trial for what he did. If not, he's still not going to be a threat."

"I can't beam you upboard if that's what you mean. I could lower you onto the ship, but you'd have to find a way inside and deal with the elements. That's pretty risky though. Obviously one slip and you fall and you would die at this height."

"Okay, how about if you use your missiles and create a hole somewhere?" Buffy asked, while keeping her eye on the ship below.

Riley smiled at the idea, "Now that's a very good idea. Since we don't have a lot of time to plan this out, I'm gonna create a hole right near the missile launchers. There's already damage there, so a couple more penetrating missiles should open things up. Then you're on your own. My scans show only 11 life forms, so the rest must be on the ground."

"I like those odds." Faith said as the adrenaline began to flow.

"Then do it." Buff said to Riley, then looked at Faith, "We'll do the rest."

"Alright, here goes." Riley said as he sent a barrage of piercing missiles into the side of the ship.

Riley zoomed his camera in on the side of the ship, making sure there was a way inside, then fired another couple rounds through the hole just to make sure.

"It should be fine now. I can lower you pretty close to that hole, but then you'll have to climb down a latter in mid air to reach it. Are you sure want to do this?"

"Oh yes, we're sure." Buffy said, speaking for both her and Faith.

"Alright, head to the back of the ship, take the stairs down to cargo bay. There is a panel on the ground labeled, "Emergency Exit", open it, hop into the small crate and I will release the crate and when I get close enough, you'll have to toss the latter over the side and climb down to the ship. Piece of cake."  
The slayers nodded and began to make their way down below. Removing their space suits, they climbed into the small crate and informed Riley to begin lowering them to the ship.

As they got closer to the ship, the wind began to pick up, causing the small crate to blow from side to side at a very fast clip. Buffy and Faith held each other as well as the side of the crate, making sure they didn't get blown overboard.

Finally the crate made it to the Deparis ship, with Buffy and Faith climbing down the latter onto the side of the hull. Making their way through the massive hole in the side, they began their search for Traviock and his followers.

It was remarkably peaceful and quiet on the ship, with the engine making the most prominent noise of all. As they climbed down onto the main docking bay, they spotted two soldiers working on the only ship left in the bay.

Slowly they made their way through the maze of fuel tanks, took out both guards and continued on through the long narrow corridor until they came to the bridge.

On the bridge sat Traviock, in his big fancy swivel chair, while a half dozen others manned the many other consoles of the very large ship. 

There was an eerie calm in the room, with Traviock's booming voice the only sound to be heard. He continuously barked out order after order to his remaining crew members, most of which paused noticeably at what they were being told to do.

While Traviock seemed to have some grasp on the English language, he wasn't using it to talk to his crew, so the slayers could only guess at what his plan was.

As they watched the crew begin to speed up their activities, they knew something was about to go down. 

With little time to think and even less time to plan, they just nodded at each other and knew exactly what to do next. 

Buffy snuck up behind one of the crew members behind Traviock, gave them a quick tap in the back of the neck and gently lay them on the ground. Faith did the same to the one to the right, leaving only four crew members and Traviock to be dealt with.

With the crew all facing forward, Buffy and Faith decided it was time to take out the boss.

Sneaking up behind the large demon, Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and with Faith's help, flipped him up and over his chair and watched as he landed hard on the metal floor.

Both slayers grabbed him by the neck, holding him tightly as the crew turned to see what the ruckass was all about. 

"Well, as you all can see, we have your leader." Buffy said as she looked back at the puzzled crew, "So um, you can just keep the ship going and we'll tell you what to do next."

"They do not listen to you human." Traviock bellowed, "They will follow my orders and nothing you do to me is going to change that. Everything has been set in motion. All's you've done is given me two prize victims to enhance my legacy."

"What are you talking about? If you haven't noticed, you are no longer in control." Faith said as she squeezed his neck a little harder.

Traviock winced at the strength of the much smaller Faith, "I hope you do kill me, it will only make me a martyr for my people. But, it won't save you. By getting rid of the two slayers, I will have earned the respect, admiration and gratitude of many, many powerful demons, guaranteeing the Deparis race will become even more powerful. So thank you for boarding my ship."

"I get the feeling he's telling the truth and that we better do something before this ship does something very deadly."

Faith got up and walked over to the captain's chair, sat down and looked over the many buttons on the right arm chair, but couldn't make out what any of them were for. With little time to learn the Deparis language, she just began pushing them until she got what she wanted. Riley appearing on the main screen.

"Faith, what's going on?" Riley asked anxiously.

"We have Traviock contained, but it looks like he has some sort of death wish for him and us."  
Traviock struggled to get free, trying hard to shake Buffy's firm hold, but had to settle for something a bit less dramatic than a bold speech in his captain's chair. So from the ground in a very awkward and uncomfortable position he began to speak, "Hear me my crew. It is time to set things in motion."

His crew didn't move as he barked out his latest order, instead, they moved away from their stations and stood beside the two slayers. 

"What is this?" Traviock yelled, glaring at everyone around him, "Get back to your stations NOW. That's an order. DO you hear me?"

"Hmm, it seems your crew isn't that loyal after all. Perhaps it's your personality." Faith said with a laugh.

Buffy smiled at Faith's comment and looked around at the relieved crew, "Is there someplace we can put him? Someplace secure? Do you understand me?"

A tall female crew member stepped forward, "Yes, we are familiar with your language. Its been part of our training since we learned that Marisella had come to your planet. We will help you take him to one of the holding cells down below. It is more than secure."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled and then followed the woman down a long panel and through a number of narrow corridors until they stopped in front of a thick steel door.

The woman used some type of key to open the door and led Buffy inside. There were 4 separate holding cells, side by side along the far wall of the brightly lit room.

Buffy dragged Traviock to the first cell, opened the door and pushed him inside. She closed it and with a little help from the woman, was able to lock it and step back.

"I appreciate all your help, but I have to ask why?"

"Most of our people, even those in his army do not support him willingly. It was wildly believed that he killed our leader, his own father just so he could try and eliminate the Glascophys. We do not support this. We are a military people, but we based our philosophy on defense, not offense. Traviock did not treat his people with any kind of respect and he did not get any in return."

"I'm glad he's locked up then." Buffy nodded with a smile, "I know some of our people might want to talk to him before you take him back for whatever punishment he has coming, so if it's okay with you, we can bring someone here or take him to our people on the ground."

"I'd feel better if he stayed here. He is a very clever man and I don't want to see him escape."

"Okay, let me get in touch with some people and we'll find a way to conduct the interviews here." Buffy agreed and then walked out the room.

Back on the bridge, Faith was already setting things in motion with Riley, "You need to get a hold of Giles like now. I'm not sure what he wants to do with this Traviock guy, but the sooner this is done, the sooner we can move on with our lives."

"I've already contacted Giles. He's on his way." Riley replied as his phone began to ring. "I've gotta go. I'll leave this channel open."

Faith greeted Buffy as she stepped back onto the bridge, "Is that nut locked up?"

"Yep he is." Buffy smiled, "I think once Giles gets here we can finally take a break. I really could use a nice hot shower and a nice long bath after."

"Well that sounds pretty good to me." Faith grinned as she took a step closer to Buffy, "Why don't you and I let Giles take care of this from here and we can go somewhere, wash up, dry off and then just lay in bed together until the sun comes up."

Buffy's smile grew even wider, "I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be."

They leaned in and kissed softly, oblivious to the Deparis crew members and to the fact that Riley was still watching on the big screen.

"Um girls. Hello? Slayers. I can see you." Riley said as he watched the two slayers continue their passionate kiss. After a couple minutes he jumped in again, "Could ya wait until this mission is over before you start making out."

Faith leaned over, pushed a button on the control panel and Riley disappeared from sight, "There, one down, a few more to go."

"Well, once we get home, I think we'll be much more comfortable."

"Oh right, with your mom, Dawn and oh right, Glory all living under the same roof."

"Oh god, don't say that. I can't believe Glory might be part of my life." Buffy stopped herself from thinking about things she couldn't control and put that big smile back on her face, "From now on I'm just thinking about you and I. We have so much to talk about. I feel like we are going to have such a good life together. Where the hell is Giles."

"Be patient, I'm positive this is all going to be worth the wait." Faith said softly as she kissed Buffy's neck.

"Ohh, I like that. But, you're making it very hard to hold back what I'd really like to do you right now."

Faith grinned, put her arm around Buffy's waist and pulled her in tight, "If you keep talking like that I think these demons are going to be enjoying a pretty hot little show soon."

"Faith." Buffy blushed as she looked at the demons staring back at her, "We really need to get home fast."

Pushing the button on the control panel again, Faith was once again staring back at a life sized view of Riley, "Can you get us off of here now? You have this ship in some kind of tractor beam, so it's not going anywhere. Maybe let the crew know what you're plan is, because I bet they want to get back home to."

"That's not my decision to make." Riley said with a shrug, "I can get you off the ship. Just go back to the hull, climb into the box and I'll pull you back up."

"Thanks." Faith said and then turned to Buffy, "Well, looks like we're free to go."

"Yep, I can't wait." Buffy said with a relieved sigh. 

They thanked the crew member who helped, wished her well and then made their way back through the ship and up onto the side of the hull. They stepped into the narrow box, tugged on the rope and Riley pushed a button and they began rising up to his ship.

About halfway up, the sky turned pitch black, there was slight humming noise nearby and within seconds it was gone, but when they darkness faded, there was no sign of Buffy or Faith. 

**Somewhere in the universe.**  
Buffy got up off the ground first, but Faith was right behind her. Both girls held their heads as if they'd been smacked around by punching bag. Looking around the small, yet clean room, they spotted a piece of paper on a perfectly polished coffee table. 

Buffy picked it up as Faith leaned over her shoulder to read it with her. "Welcome slayers. We regret the way we had to bring you here, but your services were needed immediately and there was no time for pleasantries. After you rest up, I will have one of my associates bring you to my castle. There we shall meet and discuss your new job. Our world depends on your willingness to help others and we can only hope you will forgive us for the way we brought you here. You are safe there for now, but the Tripan army will be here by morning. I've sent word to your family and friends that you are safe and will be home as soon as this mission is complete. There are fresh clothes and linen in the hamper and food in the icebox, please eat, drink and then get some rest, for tomorrow is the start of your new life here on Calteria. Yours Truly, Queen Scarlet Perlotta."

**The End**

Well, for those of you who were patient enough to read the whole story I hope you enjoyed it. 

As for the ending, well when I started this story a long, long time ago, my original plan was to have it end in a way that would put the focus solely on Buffy and Faith and to write a story about how their relationship would develop away from Sunnydale. Which in this case would be the fictitious kingdom of Calteria, they would not only be looking for a way back to earth, but would be tossed into the middle of a century long battle between two feuding queens.

One day I hope to write that story.

Buffyfaith19


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